Harry Ferguson Research Limited was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
company founded by Sir
Harry FergusonHenry George "Harry" Ferguson was an Irish engineer and inventor who is noted for his role in the development of the modern agricultural tractor, for becoming the first Irishman to build and fly his own aeroplane, and for developing the first four-wheel drive Formula One car, the Ferguson P99...
and mostly known as a racing car constructor and a 4WD transmission systems supplier.
Harry Ferguson was part owner of the famous Massey-Ferguson
tractorA tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
company, but in late 1950s he decided to exit that business and set up Ferguson Research Ltd. Over the next few years he sold off his interest in Massey-Ferguson and turned to the construction of a Coventry-Climax powered 4WD
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
car in 1960.
Despite the death of Harry Ferguson later that year, the Ferguson P99 was raced during 1961 season in UK F1 races by
Rob WalkerRob Walker Racing Team was a privateer team in Formula One during the 1950s and 1960s. Founded by Johnnie Walker heir Rob Walker in 1953, the team became F1's most successful privateer in history, being the first and last entrant to win a Formula One Grand Prix, without ever building their own...
's team.
Harry Ferguson Research Limited was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
company founded by Sir
Harry FergusonHenry George "Harry" Ferguson was an Irish engineer and inventor who is noted for his role in the development of the modern agricultural tractor, for becoming the first Irishman to build and fly his own aeroplane, and for developing the first four-wheel drive Formula One car, the Ferguson P99...
and mostly known as a racing car constructor and a 4WD transmission systems supplier.
Harry Ferguson was part owner of the famous Massey-Ferguson
tractorA tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
company, but in late 1950s he decided to exit that business and set up Ferguson Research Ltd. Over the next few years he sold off his interest in Massey-Ferguson and turned to the construction of a Coventry-Climax powered 4WD
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
car in 1960.
Despite the death of Harry Ferguson later that year, the Ferguson P99 was raced during 1961 season in UK F1 races by
Rob WalkerRob Walker Racing Team was a privateer team in Formula One during the 1950s and 1960s. Founded by Johnnie Walker heir Rob Walker in 1953, the team became F1's most successful privateer in history, being the first and last entrant to win a Formula One Grand Prix, without ever building their own...
's team. The car raced only once in the World Championship at the
British Grand PrixThe British Grand Prix is a race in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is currently held at the Silverstone Circuit near the village of Silverstone in Northamptonshire...
. However the car won a non-championship race, the
1961 International Gold CupThe 8th Gold Cup was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 23 September 1961 at Oulton Park, England. The race was run over 60 laps of the circuit, and was won by British driver Stirling Moss in a Ferguson P99....
at
Oulton ParkOulton Park Circuit is a motor racing track in the small village of Little Budworth, Cheshire, England. It is about from Winsford, to Chester city centre, to Northwich and to Warrington with nearby rail connection along the Mid-Cheshire Line set in rolling English countryside and forest. It...
with
Stirling MossSir Stirling Craufurd Moss OBE is a retired racing driver from England. His success in a variety of categories placed him among the world's elite – he is often called "the greatest driver never to win the World Championship".Moss, who raced from 1948 to 1962, won 194 of the 497 races he...
as the driver. As of today, this is the one and only victory of 4WD car in F1 (and incidentally the last race won by Moss in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
), and it might stay so for long as 4WD is now banned in F1. Despite its promising beginnings this front-engined car was soon made obsolete by mid-engined cars.
In 1964 the Ferguson P99, by then fitted with a 2.5 litre Climax engine, was loaned to
Peter WestburyPeter Westbury is a British former 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 in his first Grand Prix in the 1969 German Grand Prix. He finished ninth on the...
who used it to win the British Hillclimb Championship that year.
Ferguson Research went on in racing, supplying the
NoviThe Novi engine was a Dual Overhead Cam Supercharged V8 engine used in the Indianapolis 500. It was designed by Bud Winfield and Leo Goossen and built by Fred Offenhauser.-Early years:...
-powered P104 to the STP team for Indianapolis.
Ferguson later supplied 4WD transmissions to various Indy and F1 teams. BRM used the Ferguson 4WD system on the P67 in 1964.
Ferguson used this experience to develop the 4WD system for the road-going
Jensen FFThe Jensen FF was a four-wheel drive Grand Tourer car produced by the British manufacturer Jensen Motors between 1966 and 1971. It was the first non all-terrain production car equipped with 4WD and an anti-lock braking system — the Dunlop Maxaret electro-mechanical system used hitherto only...
GT car that was introduced in 1966, the
FF standing for
Ferguson Formula.
By 1969 the company was also contracted to make prototype conversions of several road cars for major manufacturers. These included a Dodge Challenger for
ChryslerChrysler Group, LLC is an American automobile manufacturer headquartered in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925. From 1998 to 2007, Chrysler and its subsidiaries were part of the German based DaimlerChrysler AG...
and Ford Granada police vehicles.
In 1969, there was a 4WD boom in F1 with the top teams of the era,
MatraMécanique Avion TRAction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry which from 1994 was a subsidiary of Lagardère Group and which now operates under that name....
MS84,
Lotus 63The Lotus 63 was an experimental Formula One car, designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe for the 1969 season. Chapman's reasoning behind the car was that the 3 litre engines introduced in 1966 would be better served by building a car that could take full advantage of its power while...
and McLaren, building 4WD cars using the Ferguson system (
CosworthCosworth is an automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines for automobile racing . It supplies a wide range of motorsport series, including the World Rally Championship, World Superbikes and, as of 2010, Formula One...
built also built a 4WD car but using their own system). The 1968 seasons had seen many wet races and the constructors were searching for means to increase the grip of the cars. The
1969 British Grand PrixThe 1969 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Silverstone Circuit on July 19, 1968. It was the sixth round of the 1969 Formula One season.- Classification :-References:...
, saw a record number of four 4WD cars using the Ferguson system entered.
1969 also saw the introduction of wings in F1 and there was no wet race that year. All the competitors ceased developing 4WD F1 cars as wings appeared as an easier way to increase grip, with the exception of Lotus that made a last attempt with the Ferguson system on the gas turbine powered
Lotus 56The Lotus 56 was designed by Maurice Philippe as Lotus 1968 entry in the Indianapolis 500, replacing the successful Lotus 38.Based on Parnelli Jones' STP Granatelli turbine car that almost won in 1967, Colin Chapman's team again produced an even more innovative design...
B in 1971. A new company called
FF DevelopmentsFF Developments Limited was a British company founded by Major A.P.R. Rolt to exploit 4WD technology, Rolt had worked as Technical Director at Harry Ferguson Research for many years....
was founded in 1971 by
Tony RoltMajor Anthony Peter Roylance "Tony" Rolt, MC & Bar, was a British racing driver, soldier and engineer. He won the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans and participated in three Formula One World Championship Grands Prix but scored no championship points.-Early life:Rolt was born in Bordon, Hampshire and...
and continued to develop Ferguson's ideas.
The companies factory and offices were in Siskin Drive, Coventry, England.
Complete World Championship results
(key)
| Year |
Entrant |
Driver |
Engine |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
Pts. |
WCC |
1961The 1961 Formula One season included the 12th FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on May 14, 1961, and ended on October 8 after eight races....
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Rob Walker RacingRob Walker Racing Team was a privateer team in Formula One during the 1950s and 1960s. Founded by Johnnie Walker heir Rob Walker in 1953, the team became F1's most successful privateer in history, being the first and last entrant to win a Formula One Grand Prix, without ever building their own...
|
Jack Fairman Jack Fairman was a British racing driver from England. He participated in 13 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on July 18, 1953...
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ClimaxCoventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later following the departure of Stroyer, was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...
I4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is a four-cylinder internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a...
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MONThe 1961 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 14, 1961 on the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco. It was the inaugural race of the 1961 Formula One season, and the first race under the new 1.5 litre engine regulations....
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NEDThe 1961 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 22 May 1961 at Zandvoort.Taking place one week after the Monaco GP there was not time for Innes Ireland to heal from his injury in the previous race so he was replaced by Trevor Taylor. The front row was taken up by three Ferraris. Von Trips...
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BELThe 1961 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 18 June 1961 at Spa-Francorchamps.The organizers of the race invited 25 entries, but were only going to pay starting money to 19: sixteen pre-selected cars plus the 3 fastest of the remaining 9. Three of the cars without starting money...
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FRAThe 1961 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 2 July 1961 at Reims-Gueux.By winning the race, Giancarlo Baghetti became only the third driver to win his first World Championship race, the other two being Nino Farina, who won the first World Championship race and Johnnie Parsons, who...
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GBRThe 1961 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 15 July 1961 at the Aintree Circuit, near Liverpool. It was the fifth race of eight in the 1961 World Championship season...
DSQ |
GERThe 1961 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 6 August 1961 at Nürburgring.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Phil Hill - 8:55.2* Fastest Lap: Phil Hill - 8:57.8* Lap Leaders: Stirling Moss 15 laps ....
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ITA The 1961 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 10 September 1961 at Monza.The race was marked by one of the most terrible accidents in the history of Formula One, when on lap 2 the German driver Wolfgang Von Trips lost control of his Ferrari and crashed against a stand full of...
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USA The 1961 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 8, 1961 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.__FORCETOC__-Summary:...
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External links