Primal SCREAMERS
Classic & Sports Car|April 2023
Paying tribute to the naturally aspirated V10, soundtrack to F1's greatest modern era and one of the finest units the sport has produced
- PAUL FEARNLEY
Primal SCREAMERS

Formula One's banning from 1989 of forced induction in favour of 3.5-litre naturally aspirated engines was expected to reignite the V8 versus V12 (up to 180°) firefight that had raged long before and for some time after - the turbos whistled in at the end of the 1970s. Honda and Renault, however, chose the relatively unexplored V10 route, seeking a better compromise between fuel economy and revs, punch and packaging. They would sweep the board in qualifying - it helped that Ayrton Senna was on board - and win 12 of that season's 16 Grands Prix.

Others followed: prescient independents Ilmor and John Judd's Engineering Developments were picked up by Mercedes-Benz and Yamaha; Peugeot joined in 1994, having twice won at Le Mans using a V10. The trickle became a flood. Though Honda, after 1992 and two seasons with a V12, and Renault (1997) departed the scene but kept their hands in via offshoots Mugen and Mecachrome - the 1998 F1 grid was chocka with V10 blocks, and the fact was made regulatory from 2000. BMW, in 2001, and Toyota, in 2002, having planned a V12, then mixed in.

Ford and Ferrari had stuck to their V8s and V12s - nomenclatures and noises that had forged their brands - until after the post-Ayrton concept for the new regulations. How best to package car and engine: total chassis stiffness, aerodynamics and agility. Before turbos, teams had mainly been private, without the resources of a major manufacturer, so they used a well developed V8 by Cosworth. They were used to it. But we had more freedoms.

"At the first V10 test at Silverstone, Ayrton was unhappy: 'Acceleration too sharp! Deceleration too sharp!' The difference in engine braking compared with a 1.5-litre turbo was huge: the car pitched in corners, balance changed and the driver was uncomfortable. We tried to make the delivery more progressive.

この蚘事は Classic & Sports Car の April 2023 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は Classic & Sports Car の April 2023 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

CLASSIC & SPORTS CARのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
Mick WALSH
Classic & Sports Car

Mick WALSH

'Had someone said that this worn-looking titan would win the most famous old-car event, we would have laughed'

time-read
3 分  |
November 2024
ALFA ROMEO STELVIO QF
Classic & Sports Car

ALFA ROMEO STELVIO QF

Rewriting the rulebook on what an SUV can do, and how it can make you feel

time-read
2 分  |
November 2024
FLOATING INTO THE FUTURE
Classic & Sports Car

FLOATING INTO THE FUTURE

Citroën's DS-replacing CX was at a cutting edge so sharp it still looks fresh today, and it had the drive to match - as five superb survivors reveal

time-read
8 分  |
November 2024
"It's a car for posing in really"
Classic & Sports Car

"It's a car for posing in really"

Broadcaster Michael Buerk reflects on more than three decades with his beloved Jaguar E-type S1 3.8 fixed-head coupé

time-read
8 分  |
November 2024
HONDAS DECK THE HALL
Classic & Sports Car

HONDAS DECK THE HALL

The Japanese firm's Los Angeles collection is now on public display for the first time in two decades

time-read
4 分  |
November 2024
ABSOLUTELY buzzing
Classic & Sports Car

ABSOLUTELY buzzing

Honda's Si Civics brought agile, cheap fun to motorists long before the Type R name got anywhere near a hatchback

time-read
7 分  |
November 2024
THE FEMININE TOUCH
Classic & Sports Car

THE FEMININE TOUCH

In 1955, General Motors styling guru Harley Earl brought 11 talented women into the male-dominated world of automotive design. What was their lasting impact?

time-read
7 分  |
November 2024
Out on a limb
Classic & Sports Car

Out on a limb

Panther's innovative Solo 2 was something completely different, both for its maker and the sports car market

time-read
7 分  |
November 2024
Restyles with substance
Classic & Sports Car

Restyles with substance

Panther Westwinds blended a passion for pre-war designs with modern-era mechanical usability and remarkably fine coachbuilding

time-read
10 分  |
November 2024
Dead ringers
Classic & Sports Car

Dead ringers

The Maserati Kyalami and De Tomaso Longchamp share much, having emerged from the same stable, but are poles apart at heart

time-read
8 分  |
November 2024