HONDA The Power of Dreams

The lineup of old and new machines in the paddock was truly amazing. The oldest car in the paddock this year was the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the world’s first car with a gasoline engine, introduced in 1886. However, it was a “new car,” recently been remade. However, not only was this replica identical to the original, but could be driven. The sound of the 984cc single-cylinder engine demonstrated the gravitas of an automobile pioneer.

The oldest racing machine in the paddock was the Darracq from 1906. Made in France, the birthplace of motor sports, this machine, nicknamed the “Edwardian Monster”" had a 12.7-liter inline 4-cylinder engine (around 3.1 liters per cylinder). It was a specimen that truly symbolized the power of this era. The radiator is pointed at the end to give it an aerodynamic style. This machine was driven by Sir Malcolm Campbell, known as the King of Speed, at the Brooklands Circuit in England in 1914.

The Renault AK 90CV, which won the world’s first grand prix race, the ACF Grand Prix in 1906, driven by Hungarian driver Ferenc Sis, was also powered by an inline four-cylinder engine, but with a displacement of 12.9 liters, slightly larger than the Darracq. This beast could also reach a maximum speed of 160 km/h. Its radiator was located behind the engine, just in front of the driver, and the nose, which sloped forward, was called the “elephant nose” because of its similarity and a very popular automobile style at the time. Its appearance is hauntingly similar to the imposing stance of the latest F1 cars.

Another car making its first public appearance was the 1911 Italian-made Fiat S74. It was powered by an inline 4-cylinder SOHC engine with a displacement of 14,174 cc that produced 140 hp and drove the rear wheels with a pair of chains. The stroke was 200 mm, as the engine’s cylinder bore was regulated to 150 mm. This machine marked the end of the Monster era.

As regulations were formalized in the 1920s, racing machines quickly entered an era of miniaturization and streamlining, as the same performance could be realized with smaller engines, aerodynamic research had progressed so that the streamlined design became more suitable with less drag. The Alfa Romeo P2, which debuted in 1924, and the French Bugatti T35C of 1927, were typical of the smaller Grand Prix machines that used highly efficient small-displacement engines. The event is a great source of amazement because these machines, which in today’s classic car market cost hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, some even priceless, are casually driven on the track at racing speed.

In the 1930s, in addition to Mercedes-Benz and Auto-Union, backed by the German government, BMW and other German companies dominated the circuit. Although not a happy time socially, it was also an era of unparalleled progress in terms of automobile technology. This year, the Daimler-Chrysler Group brought the Mercedes-Benz W125 (1937) and W154 (1939), while Audi brought the Auto Union Type C (1936) and Type D (1938). The Mercedes-Benz W125 was the most powerful GP machine of its time, equipped with a 5.6-liter inline 8-cylinder DOHC engine that produced 646 hp. Its top speed was calculated to exceed 433 km/h, but the poor tires of the time could not keep up with this high performance, and the car ended up having to run at a fraction of its true performance. Both the Type C and Type D Auto Union cars were designed by Ferdinand Porsche. In the late 1930s, these two companies’ cars dominated the race circuits, and the Italian and French cars were no match.

Honda’s grand prix efforts debuted with the newly developed RA271 (1.5-liter, V12 DOHC engine) at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring on August 2, 1964, driven by American Ronnie Bucknum. On Lap 12 the suspension broke and went off course, out of the race. Although it was a bitter debut for the F1 team, in F2, which had been running concurrently with F1 since 1965, a 1.0-liter, in-line 4-cylinder DOHC engine made by Honda powered a Brabham chassis. Although this team struggled in its first year due to inexperience, in 1966, represented by Jack Brabham, who joined the previous year, joined by Denny Bucknum, they made rapid progress and set an unprecedented record of 11 consecutive victories. Nobuhiko Kawamoto, former president of Honda and the designer of the F2 engine, also made an appearance at Goodwood and enjoyed spending time with old friends.

This year, Honda brought the RA300, which won the Italian GP at the Monza Circuit in 1967, driven by John Surtees, and the RA301, developed under 3.0-liter regulations in 1968. The RA300 was, of course, driven by John Surtees himself, while the RA301 was shared between current F1 driver Anthony Davidson and Gil de Ferran, the sporting director of the Honda Racing F1 team. As always, Surtees, who is now 72 years old, astonished the crowd as he was more than a match to the current drivers.