![Primal SCREAMERS](https://cdn.magzter.com/1343919541/1678265329/articles/kQWByg7hF1679902980228/PRIMAL-SCREAMERS.jpg)
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.
This story is from the April 2023 edition of Classic & Sports Car.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2023 edition of Classic & Sports Car.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![From little acorn s...](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1165/1692380/zPznrGPE51715168475775/FROM-LITTLE-ACORN-S.jpg)
From little acorn s...
The feisty Visa Trophée was an unlikely Group B rallying candidate, and a stepping stone towards Citroën's WRC supremacy
![FORD RANGER RAPTOR](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1165/1692380/iGkNnwrWY1715168328584/FORD-RANGER-RAPTOR.jpg)
FORD RANGER RAPTOR
OTT workhorse is a kid-pleasing head-turner that mixes business with pleasure
![MERCEDES-BENZ SL (R230)](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1165/1692380/RETprMXY01715168076298/MERCEDESBENZ-SL-R230.jpg)
MERCEDES-BENZ SL (R230)
The tech-heavy SL is becoming a sought-after classic with increasing specialist support
![By Royal appointment](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1165/1692380/G7MGu9nau1715167509271/BY-ROYAL-APPOINTMENT.jpg)
By Royal appointment
The overhauled Middlebridge Scimitar continuation was championed by Princess Anne with this, her eighth and final GTE
![African Queen](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1165/1692380/4oBRh9mXN1715165991450/AFRICAN-QUEEN.jpg)
African Queen
A 1500-mile road trip has retraced this Morris Minor's history, from its first owner to its rediscovered remains, 54 years ago
![NOT SO HACKNEYED CARRIAGE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1165/1692380/eA3U-wVxf1715165598165/NOT-SO-HACKNEYED-CARRIAGE.jpg)
NOT SO HACKNEYED CARRIAGE
Never mind today’s bloated Chelsea tractors, for millionaire Nubar Gulbenkian the perfect transport for the streets of 60s London was a bespoke black cab
![Leading fromthe front](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1165/1692380/_7TWcpK8I1715165004738/LEADING-FROMTHE-FRONT.jpg)
Leading fromthe front
In the 1990s coupé boom, Toyota, Rover and Mazda scrabbled for power with race-inspired tuning, turbocharging and a sophisticated V6
![EAST COAST HOME BREW](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1165/1692380/tESCdzXoB1715164120543/EAST-COAST-HOME- BREW.jpg)
EAST COAST HOME BREW
When ambitious racer Walt Hansgen was unable to buy a new Jaguar C-type, he set out to build his own. How does it measure up?
![NATIONAL VELVET](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1165/1692380/lKpK2RLm31715163601108/NATIONAL-VELVET.jpg)
NATIONAL VELVET
As smooth asvit is rapid and superbly built,this Vanden Plas tourer reveals how Derby Bentleys set new standards of aspirational motoring
![Martin BUCKLEY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/1165/1692380/e5YWBhaJE1715163401413/MARTIN-BUCKLEY.jpg)
Martin BUCKLEY
‘While the BMW drifts round every curve, the chasing Jaguar XJ6 is driven with overstated incompetence’