Everything that gets forgotten about F1's epic Brabham fan car
91,314
Published 2022-12-18
The Brabham BT46B – better known as the fan car – only raced once in Formula 1. But it made a profound impact and is celebrated to this day as a beacon of technical ingenuity.
Most F1 fans know the basic story of Gordon Murray’s car, which won the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix in the hands of Niki Lauda on its sole racing appearance. As an answer to the ground-effect innovation of Team Lotus, a large fan attached to the rear of the Brabham created a similar effect by sucking air out from below the car, pulling it closer to the ground and sealing the underfloor with the side skirts.
But there’s a lot more to the story than that, as well as some legends about it that aren’t quite accurate.
So we’ve dug into the detail of one of F1’s most legendary cars to bring you some facts you may not have known. And to make it easier to understand this famous car, we’re very grateful to @f1passionit for sharing their tremendous 3D model of the Brabham BT46B with us.
#F1 #F1tech #FanCar
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All Comments (21)
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Brought to you by Aramco: bit.ly/3xCbsb1
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"Progress is a race that..." double taps
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2:56 because the downforce and cornering speed gain was worth signi- cut
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I really wish that this car had a chance to actually be raced properly, and I would like to see how engineers nowadays would design a fan F1 car.
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Ground effect and fan car were both alteady developed and raced by 1970 by Jim Hall's Chaparral, so 8 years before Lotus and Brabham brought them to F1.
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Thankyou for this video! I just loves the F1 cars from the 1970's and 1980's. Six wheelers, turbos, fan cars, ground effects carbon Fibre etc they were amazing times for designers and their creativity!
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The banning of the Chaparral 2J had established the principle that fans were only allowed to the extent they were needed for cooling. The Brabham fan system was moving several multiples of the air required for the radiators, so I don't see how it would have survived the protest that would have come. The team agreeing to withdraw the car just eliminated the need to go through the hearing process.
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Ahh, I was there in Anderstorp. Of course had most attention to my hero Ronnie, who finished 3rd after a superb recovery from a puncture.
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Okay, you finally got me. I'd like to buy one ARAMCO, please. Where can I get one?
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8:38 The Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy was ran in 1979! So almost 1 year after the 1978 Swedish GP
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The original fan boost.
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Sound issues at 2:54?
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You can drive this car is AMS2. And the fan as well as its effect on the car is fully simulated
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Brabham was a fucking genius and fantastic driver, Aussie legend
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Imagine we could combine in one small, light f1 car: blown diffusor, Fan, flexi wings, double diffusor, ground Effekt, hybrid v4 from porsche, drs, active Suspension, Renaults special nose weight from 2006, DAS, collapsing Suspension, 2 brake pedals like mclaren did - that would be peak f1 with development Potential, no problems with dirty air, and nimble cars
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Everyone else: Either going on about the lack of innovation or still griping about the video sponsorship Me: Takes in the casual madness of the 70s in this picture with what looks like the Mechanic is doing all his notes in just a jacket and Jeans while the designer is just chilling out with some sandwitches
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That aramco advert gives me a headache every time I hear it.
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Love the bit where the FIA commission becomes Italian. Almost as nice as the bit where Aramco is described as sustainable. Great work. Do I need to unsubscribe in the off season?
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One and done! That’s how you do it, that would be a great dam story if it didn’t cost so much money to go and win in your first and only start in F1! It does go to show how insightful Bernie Echolstone was about his direction in the sport and how he wanted complete and utter control eventually!
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What was that sponsor bit in between! Hilarious
