Frank Williams started with nothing more than once - but eventually came to lead a Formula 1 team that won 16 world titles and 114 World Championship Grands Prix. Along the way, his enthusiasm, tenacity and ability to provide championship-winning cars for seven different drivers endeared Williams to motorsport fans like no other team principal.
Imbued with a love of speed and cars from an early age, initially, Frank set out to become a racing driver, but a succession of crashes and incidents in saloon cars and Formula 3 brought the realisation that optimism seriously outweighed skill.
Living hand-to-mouth as a wheelerdealer in racing car parts, a skill in several languages led him to become an entrant for Piers Courage. Following race wins for the dashing young English driver, he eventually contemplated stepping up to F1 in 1969. The way he did it was typical of Frank.
Since no one wanted to sell an F1 car to such a potentially competitive combination, he kept his ear to the ground. He discovered that Brabham had sold one of its latest F1 cars, the BT26, to a wealthy enthusiast in the understandable belief this man would not be Grand Prix racing. When Frank persuaded the enthusiast to part with the car for a reasonable sum, Jack Brabham was outraged. His anger was justified when Courage finished second at Monaco and in the money-rich United States Grand Prix.
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Denne historien er fra February 2022-utgaven av CAR.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Toyota Fortuner
Considered by many as the quintessential adventure SUV, the Fortuner is about as strong a used buying proposition as you can get in this segment. We take you through the things to look out for and list two rivals for comparison.
MIND THE HURDLE
With a repaired car and a point to prove, Alex Shahini returned for Round 3 of the Toyota GR Cup at Zwartkops Raceway to achieve a career-best finish
KING OF KILLARNEY
For four decades, Denis Joubert was directly involved with the creation, development and ongoing success of Cape Town's international motorsport venue, Killarney. Having just celebrated his 90th birthday, we talk to the man whose contribution to South Africa's motor-racing heritage is priceless....
Selecting the 4WD SYSTEM for your needs
As 4WD SUVS and double cabs grow in popularity, more first-time buyers face the challenge of selecting a vehicle with a drivetrain that best meets their requirements. We explain the key differences between the all-wheel drivetrains available
Kia Picanto 1.0 LX MT
Kia's ever-popular budget hatch has recently received a range of exterior and interior updates - we test the entry-level variant to see if it remains a force to be reckoned with in this highly competitive segment
Super C
The fastest and most technologically advanced flagship C-Class to date, AMG's C63 S has evolved into an electrified uber-sedan. Has this mighty model forsaken some character in pursuing this status? We strapped our test equipment to the new shooting star.
Bentley's Brutes
A break in proceedings during an exclusive preview of the fourth-generation Bentley Continental GT afforded us an opportunity to sample the stately yet hair-raising Bentayga S
RUNNING UP THAT HILL
Now in its 14th year, the Simola Hillclimb continues to combine adrenaline-fuelled competition with showcasing some of the most appealing classics out there in a heady mix that keeps local petrolheads coming...
BAND OF BROTHERS
Complete with rugged bakkie-based underpinnings that encourage off-the-beaten-track venturing, largely proven powertrains that afford maximum range and towing capability, and brand names with enviable respective reputations for reliability, adventure SUVs remain the favourite of thousands of South Africans.
TWELVE OF THE BEST
Ferrari keeps things suitably old-school with its V12-engined 12Cilindri GT