Category | Formula One | ||||||||
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Constructor | Zakspeed | ||||||||
Designer(s) | Paul Brown | ||||||||
Predecessor | 841 | ||||||||
Successor | 871 | ||||||||
Technical specifications | |||||||||
Chassis | Carbon fibre Monocoque | ||||||||
Suspension (front) | Double wishbones, pullrods | ||||||||
Suspension (rear) | Double wishbones, pullrods | ||||||||
Axle track | Front: 1,800 mm (71 in) Rear: 1,600 mm (63 in) |
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Wheelbase | 2,820 mm (111 in) | ||||||||
Engine |
Zakspeed 1500/4 1,495 cc (91.2 cu in), Straight 4, turbo, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted 1987: 4.0 Bar turbo limited |
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Transmission | Hewland / Zakspeed 6-speed manual | ||||||||
Weight | 565 kg (1,246 lb) | ||||||||
Fuel | Shell | ||||||||
Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||
Notable entrants | West Zakspeed Racing | ||||||||
Notable drivers |
Jonathan Palmer Huub Rothengatter Martin Brundle Christian Danner |
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Debut | 1986 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||
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Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
Drivers' Championships | 0 |
The Zakspeed 861 was a Formula One car designed by Paul Brown for the Zakspeed team and was used in both the 1986 and 1987 seasons. In 1986 its drivers were Jonathan Palmer and Huub Rothengatter. The team never employed a test driver as they simply couldn't afford one despite sponsorship from German tobacco brand West. The lack of money also meant that the engine on the car, Zakspeed's own 4 cylinder 1500/4 turbo engine which were rated at about 850 bhp (634 kW; 862 PS) for the season, were also short on power and development compared to those at the front of the grid (Honda, Renault, BMW, TAG-Porsche and Ferrari). The team used Goodyear tyres.
The Zakspeed 861 was a single seat open wheel racing car, designed and built by the German Zakspeed team for the 1986 Formula One world championship. It was a development of the Zakspeed 841 used during the 1985 Formula One season. Changes were largely to reduce weight and complexity over its predecessor. In its second year in Formula One, the tiny Zakspeed team continued to be only competitor, other than the large factory teams of Ferrari and Renault, to design and build its own engines.
The chassis was built around a carbon fibre/kevlar composite monocoque. The reduction in fuel tank size to 195 litres for the 1986 season allowed the car to be smaller, allowing better airflow to the rear wing. Despite the efforts to reduce weight, the car, although close to the 575 kg minimum weight limit for the formula, was still too heavy. The car again appeared in the red-and-white corporate colours of West cigarettes, who remained as title sponsor.