BRM P115
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | British Racing Motors | ||||||||
| Designer(s) | Tony Rudd | ||||||||
| Predecessor | BRM P83 | ||||||||
| Successor | BRM P126 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Magnesium alloy monocoque | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Double wishbone, with inboard spring/damper units | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Double wishbone, with outboard coilover spring/damper units | ||||||||
| Axle track | F: 59 in (1,499 mm) (adj.) R: 60 in (1,524 mm) (adj.) |
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| Wheelbase | 96 in (2,438 mm) (adjustable) | ||||||||
| Engine | BRM P75 2,996 cc (182.8 cu in) H16 naturally aspirated, mid-mounted | ||||||||
| Transmission | 6-speed manual | ||||||||
| Weight | 1,380 lb (626.0 kg) | ||||||||
| Fuel | Shell | ||||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Owen Racing Organisation | ||||||||
| Notable drivers |
 Jackie Stewart Mike Spence
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| Debut | 1967 German Grand Prix | ||||||||
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| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| n.b. Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only. |
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The BRM P115 was a Formula 1 racing car built by British Racing Motors in 1967.
The car was designed by Technical Director Tony Rudd around BRM's complicated 3 litre H-16 engine, known as the P75, which had first raced in France in 1966 in a Lotus 43.
The P115 was a significant refinement of the P83 it replaced, with the most obvious differences being a squarer appearance and the external cooling pipes seen on the P83 being moved within the chassis for better aerodynamics. Magnesium alloy was used to reduce weight over the Duralumin P83, but the car and engine combination was still horrendously overweight compared to its F1 contemporaries, weighing over 620 kg compared to cars like the Lotus 49 and Brabham BT24 which weighed not much more than 500 kg. Added to this the weight distribution was not only significantly rearward but also quite high up due to the higher of the engine's two crankshafts being so high up in the car, as well as the need to raise the engine slightly to accommodate the exhausts from the lower set of cylinders. All this led to less than ideal handling characteristics for the car.
Only one example was built and it was entered in the last 5 Grands Prix of 1967 in the hands of Jackie Stewart, with Mike Spence driving the car in the first race of 1968. The car failed to finish any of these races due to various engine and transmission failures.
The P115 first appeared at the Dutch Grand Prix (along with the new Brabham BT24 and Lotus 49) but was not raced until the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Stewart tended to go well at the Nürburgring and managed to qualify the car on the front row with the third fastest time of 8:15.2. Having dropped to seventh after the start Stewart managed to work his way back to third by lap 5 when his race was terminated by the same differential failure that had affected Spence's P83 earlier in the race.
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