Mike Pilbeam

Mike Pilbeam
Born	1937 (age 79–80) UK
Nationality	British
Occupation	Motorsport engineer and designer
Years active	1959–
Known for	Formula One designer. (BRM, Lotus, Surtees)
Notable work	BRM P67, BRM P201, LEC CRP1

Mike Pilbeam (born 1937) is a British motorsport designer and engineer known for his work with BRM, Lotus, Surtees and his own company, Pilbeam Racing Designs. An early design was the experimental four wheel drive Formula One BRM P67 of 1964. As of 2014^[update], Pilbeam's company continued to produce hillclimb cars and sports prototype chassis for endurance racing.

Pilbeam spent much of his early life in West London, and had little interest in competition cars until he attended the 1958 British Grand Prix, whilst at Bristol University. In 1959, he constructed a small sportscar with which he competed himself, but without much success. However a later design and an association with club racer Tony Gould brought some success in the 1,172 cc (71.5 cu in) class. In 1963, he joined BRM as a stress engineer. He assisted in the construction and design of the P67 whilst still an apprentice, and the actual design is usually accredited to Tony Rudd. The car, driven by Richard Attwood, was entered for the 1964 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch but was withdrawn after practice. It did not make any further appearances until 1968, when it appeared in hillclimb events, initially driven by Peter Westbury and subsequently by Peter Lawson and was a championship winning machine. After the abandonment of the P67 project, Pilbeam worked on the BRM H16 engine, helping to develop it to the point where Jim Clark was able to win the 1966 United States Grand Prix with a Lotus 43-BRM.

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