The Ferguson P99 was a
four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer cas ...
Grand Prix car built by
Ferguson Research Ltd.
Harry Ferguson Research Limited was a British company founded by Harry Ferguson who was mostly known as "the father of the modern farm tractor". He was also a pioneer aviator, becoming one of the first to build and fly his own aeroplane in Irela ...
It was raced on behalf of the company by the
Rob Walker Racing Team
Rob Walker Racing Team was a privateer team in Formula One during the 1950s and 1960s. Founded by Johnnie Walker heir Rob Walker (1917–2002) in 1953, the team became F1's most successful privateer in history, being the first and (along with ...
. Officially named as Ferguson Climax, it derived its P99 name from its Harry Ferguson Research project number. It used either a 1.5-litre or a 2.5-litre
Climax engine. It remains the most famous example of its type as a result of its twin claims to fame: the first AWD car to win a Formula 1 event, and the last front-engined car to win a Formula 1 event.
History
Tony Rolt
Major Anthony Peter Roylance Rolt, MC & Bar, (16 October 1918 – 6 February 2008) was a British racing driver, soldier and engineer. A war hero, Rolt maintained a long connection with the sport, albeit behind the scenes. The Ferguson 4WD pr ...
first considered the possibility of using Ferguson 4WD in circuit racing, and with
Harry Ferguson keen to promote the 4WD transmission systems of Harry Ferguson Research, work began on the P99 in 1960. With a 50–50 torque distribution front to rear the car, Claude Hill's design was built to have an even weight distribution over both axles, which along with the position of the gearbox necessitated a front-engined design despite
Cooper
Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to:
* Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels
Arts and entertainment
* Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads
* Cooper (video game character), in ...
's and
Lotus's overwhelming recent success with mid-engined cars. Just as the project was nearing completion it was dealt something of a body blow by the governing body's decision to reduce the size of F1 engines by 40% for
1961, making the extra weight of the AWD transmission a much bigger penalty. Nevertheless, the team persevered and fitted a standard 1.5-litre Climax 4-cylinder engine, mounted at a slant to make room for the front driveshaft. In addition the driving position was moved slightly off-centre to accommodate the gearbox and rear driveshaft to the driver's left hand side.
The car was first raced in the 1961 British Empire Trophy, where
Rob Walker put
Jack Fairman
Jack Fairman (15 March 1913 – 7 February 2002) was a British racing driver from England. He participated in 13 Formula One Grands Prix, making his debut on 18 July 1953. He scored a total of five championship points, all of which came in ...
in the car, but the start was an inauspicious one as Fairman crashed on lap 2. In the
British Grand Prix
The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Ch ...
at
Aintree
Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, north-east of Liverpool city centre, in North West England.
I ...
, Fairman drove the car again, but surrendered it to
Stirling Moss after his Walker-entered
Lotus 18
The Lotus 18 was a race car designed by Colin Chapman for use by Lotus in Formula Junior, Formula Two, and Formula One.
Overview
Lotus 18 was the first mid-engined car built by Lotus and was a marked improvement over Chapman's early and only ...
failed. The car was disqualified for outside assistance on lap 56. The car's last major F1 race was its moment of motor racing immortality, as Moss drove the P99 to victory in a damp
International Gold Cup at
Oulton Park
Oulton Park is a hard surfaced track used for motor racing, close to the village of Little Budworth, Cheshire, England. It is about from Winsford, from Chester city centre, from Northwich and from Warrington, with a nearby rail connection al ...
. In February 1963, the car, having been fitted with a 2.5-litre Climax engine, was driven by
Innes Ireland
Lieutenant Robert McGregor Innes Ireland (12 June 1930 – 22 October 1993), was a British military officer, engineer, and motor racing driver, with 1 Championship and 8 non-Championship Formula 1 race victories, and several sports car wins incl ...
and
Graham Hill in the series of off-season races in New Zealand and Australia, including the 1963
Australian Grand Prix at
Warwick Farm
Warwick Farm is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.
Warwick Farm is located 30 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Liverpool and is part of the Sou ...
and the Lakeside International at
Lakeside, placing sixth and second respectively. The P99's final competition action during this period came in the
British Hillclimb championship
The British Hill Climb Championship (BHCC) is the most prestigious Hillclimbing championship in Great Britain. Hillclimbing in the British Isles has a rich history, for example, the hillclimb held at Shelsley Walsh, in Worcestershire, England is t ...
in 1964, 1965, and 1966, with
Peter Westbury
Peter Westbury (26 May 1938 – 7 December 2015) was a British racing driver from England. He participated in two World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, scoring no championship points. In 1969 he raced a Formula 2 Brabham-Cosworth, driving ...
winning the title in 1964. The car has competed in recent years in historic races.
The P99 was later the inspiration for the AWD Ferguson P104
Novi Indycar, which
Bobby Unser
Robert William Unser (February 20, 1934 – May 2, 2021) was an American automobile racer. At his induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994, he had the fourth most IndyCar Series wins at 35 (behind his brother Al, A. J. F ...
drove in the
Indy 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianap ...
in
1964 and
1965. The car was damaged beyond immediate repair in the horrific crash in 1964, and was retired from regular competition in 1965 with engine problems.
In a 1997 interview for
''Motor Sport'' magazine, Sir Stirling Moss nominated the P99 as his favourite of all the F1 cars he drove.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
)
References
{{F1 cars 1961
Formula One cars
1961 Formula One season cars
All-wheel-drive vehicles