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Brabham BT46

Brabham BT46
Brabham BT46B
2001 Goodwood Festival of Speed Brabham BT46B Fan car.jpg
BT46B "fan car" at Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2001
Category Formula One
Constructor Brabham
Designer(s) Gordon Murray
Predecessor BT45C
Successor BT48
Technical specifications
Chassis Aluminium Monocoque
Suspension (front) Pullrod double wishbone
Suspension (rear) Pullrod double wishbone
Axle track Front: 1,549 mm (61.0 in)
Rear: 1,626 mm (64.0 in)
Wheelbase 2,590 mm (102 in)
Engine Alfa Romeo, 2,995 cc (182.8 cu in), Flat-12, NA, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted
Transmission Brabham / Alfa Romeo 5/6-speed manual, Alfa Romeo Differential
Fuel Fina
Agip
Tyres Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants Parmalat Racing Team
Notable drivers 1. Austria Niki Lauda
2. United Kingdom John Watson
66. Brazil Nelson Piquet
Debut 1978 South African Grand Prix
Races Wins Poles
15 (all variants) BT46 - 1
BT46B - 1
2
Constructors' Championships 0
Drivers' Championships 0

The Brabham BT46 is a Formula One racing car designed by Gordon Murray for the Brabham team, owned by Bernie Ecclestone, for the 1978 Formula One season. The car featured several radical design elements, the most obvious of which was the use of flat panel heat exchangers on the bodywork of the car to replace conventional water and oil radiators. The concept did not work in practice and was removed before the car’s race debut, never to be seen again. The cars, powered by a flat-12 Alfa Romeo engine, raced competitively with modified nose-mounted radiators for most of the year, driven by Niki Lauda and John Watson, winning one race in this form and scoring sufficient points for the team to finish third in the constructors championship.

The "B" variant of the car, also known as the "fan car", was introduced at the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix as a counter to the dominant ground effect Lotus 79. The BT46B generated an immense level of downforce by means of a fan, claimed to be for increased cooling, but which also extracted air from beneath the car. The car only raced once in this configuration in the Formula One World Championship—when Niki Lauda won the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp. The concept was withdrawn by Brabham after one race even though the FIA had ruled it could be used for the remainder of that season.

The first Alfa-Romeo engined Brabham, the Brabham BT45 was an overweight and bulky car, initially weighing 625 kg and as wide as was permitted under the F1 technical regulations. This was due to the difficulties of packaging the large, powerful Alfa flat-12 engine and the fuel it required to complete a race distance. After lengthy development, it became competitive, but never won a race. In mid 1977, Brabham designer Gordon Murray started work on the ambitious design of the BT46. It was intended to compensate for the weight of the engine and fuel and allow the Brabham team to take a large technical step forward as well as to improve safety.


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