Colchester Racing Developments
| Ltd. | |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Successor | CRD Tool and Engineering Ltd. |
| Founded | Colchester, 1960 |
| Founder | Selwyn Hayward |
| Defunct | 1979 |
| Headquarters | Manningtree, Essex, Great Britain |
| Website | Official website |
| Founded | 1960 |
|---|---|
| Team principal(s) | Clive Hayward |
| Former series |
BRSCC Formula Junior (1962) British Formula 3 (1964) French Formula 3 (1964) British Formula 2 (1964-1965) Trophées de France (1964-1965) British Sports Car Championship (1964) European Formula 2 (1968-1969) |
| Noted drivers |
 Jonathan Williams (1962) Teddy Pilette (1964)David Hobbs (1964-1966) Chris Irwin (1964-1965) Dave Walker (1967) Brian Hart (1968-1969) Robin Widdows (1969) |
Colchester Racing Developments produced Merlyn racing cars from 1960 to 1979. The company was founded by Selwyn Hayward and continued by his brother Clive Hayward. When the manufacture of Merlyn racing cars stopped, Clive continued to manufacture Merlyn parts as CRD Tool and Engineering Ltd. CRD Tool and Engineering stopped trading in November 2015, Clive Hayward continues to run Colchester Racing Developments, manufacturing Merlyn components and carrying out chassis repairs.
The first Merlyn was the MK 1, a Formula Junior car which was never raced. The car was designed by Selwyn Hayward. Future Formula 1 driver Teddy Pilette drove the MK 3 in various Formula Junior races. Ian Raby drove a MK 3 in the BRSCC Formula Junior entered by Empire Racing Team. The following year Merlyns were entered in the BRSCC Formula Junior by Raby and Malcolm Fruitnight. The best result were a few top five finishes at Brands Hatch. 1962 was also the first year Merlyn Racing entered the prestigious Monaco Formula 3 Grand Prix. The 1962 race was no success. Driver John Brown did not manage to qualify. Factory driver Jonathan Williams achieved a fifth-place finish driving a prototype MK 5. A MK 4 sports car powered by a Coventry Climax engine driven by Richard Redgrave finished second in the 1963 Copenhagen Cup at the Roskilde Ring.
After making more Formula Junior and sports cars Merlyn focused on Formula 2 and Formula 3. Formula Junior was effectively replaced by the 1.0-litre Formula 2 and Formula 3 as of 1964. Future Formula One driver Chris Irwin was one of the drivers of the MK 7. He drove it in the BARC Formula 3 and the British Formula 3. With three podium finishes in the British championship and a win in the BARC championship, Irwin achieved good results. A Merlyn MK 6 was entered by the team in the Group 7 British Sports Car Championship were it achieved some top 10 results. American driver Charles Barns won the SCCA National Championship Runoffs in the G Modified class in 1964. Barnes competed his MK 6 at the Runoffs in 1964 and 1965. Six Merlyns were entered into the 1965 Monaco Formula 3 Grand Prix. Three of the cars, including Iriwn, made it to the final race. The British factory driver started fifth and ended up on the podium in second place. Vincent Palmaro finished as last running driver in 17th place. The third Merlyn driven by Roger Brash did not finish. Irwin and Roger Mac were entered by Merlyn in the Trophées de France. The pair achieved no major results. Eleven MK 7s were built in both F2 and F3 guise. The car's successor, the MK 9, had some improvements increasing the fuel capacity.
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