Formula1 Turbo Engines - The Golden Era (documentary)

wemay

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Fascinating look at the implementation of turbos in the sport. With particular interest at ~12:00 when Ford Cosworth begins developing their own in attempts to match others like Renault and BMW etc. The test engine suffers catastrophic failure and is analyzed .
 
I've seen this one a few times. I get a kick out of the British inclination toward understatement when the turbo L4 fails on the dyno.
 
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Those things were fire breathing monsters! The echoes between buildings as they blasted down the streets of Detroit were fantastic. And the smell of the fuel in the air was unforgettable. We may never get that level of visceral experience from racing again. Of some interest was the use of ultra high octane fuels in those machines. Most people are completely clueless about what Octane is and when/why it is needed this a good example of that.
 
Originally Posted by A_Harman
I've seen this one a few times. I get a kick out of the British inclination toward understatement when the turbo L4 fails on the dyno.


Yes, LOL, almost Monty Python-like.
 
Originally Posted by Kawiguy454
Those things were fire breathing monsters! The echoes between buildings as they blasted down the streets of Detroit were fantastic. And the smell of the fuel in the air was unforgettable. We may never get that level of visceral experience from racing again. Of some interest was the use of ultra high octane fuels in those machines. Most people are completely clueless about what Octane is and when/why it is needed this a good example of that.


I've never had the privilege of attending an F1 event, but when Grand Prix Miami raged through our downtown streets, I experienced the same euphoria as a kid.
 
Originally Posted by Kawiguy454
Those things were fire breathing monsters! The echoes between buildings as they blasted down the streets of Detroit were fantastic. And the smell of the fuel in the air was unforgettable. We may never get that level of visceral experience from racing again. Of some interest was the use of ultra high octane fuels in those machines. Most people are completely clueless about what Octane is and when/why it is needed this a good example of that.


I was there at the Detroit Grand Prix a few times. We developed Ford Motorsport stuff and raced a Mustang turbo. What a joke compared to these guys. But we did learn about using Toluene and N Heptane as a fuel. The result was that we could run as much boost as we dare, no risk of detonation. We then turbocharged a cosworth BD series engine and made over 700HP using a spin off of that F1 fuel blend.

Only once was I able to follow an F1 car for a few seconds, around the track during an open test. The heat plume from the exhaust was flat out remarkable. While mixing cars was very frowned upon then, they did allow it occasionally if someone had a valid reason to test.

Met Caroll Shelby there too. He and I walked up the stairs to the convention center. He had a very hard time making it to the top and stopped about half way up. I stayed with him and had some interesting chat. He was very forward looking and wanted to talk about what was up and coming. Especially turbocharged engines.
 
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Originally Posted by Kawiguy454
Those things were fire breathing monsters! The echoes between buildings as they blasted down the streets of Detroit were fantastic. And the smell of the fuel in the air was unforgettable. We may never get that level of visceral experience from racing again. Of some interest was the use of ultra high octane fuels in those machines. Most people are completely clueless about what Octane is and when/why it is needed this a good example of that.


and the difference in sound of the tubocharged vs normally aspirated engines was really noticeable. The turbo's were I think 1.5 litre while the NA were 3.0. And the fact the turbo sort of muffled the exhaust sound made for a big difference in sound.

It was all music to me. I was at the first 2 and the 1987 race.
 
Great video. Thanks. Only got a Honda with 15hp over stock but can appreciate this kind of racing. This is where Honda makes it happen. Cant wait to get to Japan and see Honda museum and race heritage. Currently following Realtime Racing in their Acura/Honda Redline Oil cars with a passion.
 
Originally Posted by Cujet
Originally Posted by Kawiguy454
Those things were fire breathing monsters! The echoes between buildings as they blasted down the streets of Detroit were fantastic. And the smell of the fuel in the air was unforgettable. We may never get that level of visceral experience from racing again. Of some interest was the use of ultra high octane fuels in those machines. Most people are completely clueless about what Octane is and when/why it is needed this a good example of that.


I was there at the Detroit Grand Prix a few times. We developed Ford Motorsport stuff and raced a Mustang turbo. What a joke compared to these guys. But we did learn about using Toluene and N Heptane as a fuel. The result was that we could run as much boost as we dare, no risk of detonation. We then turbocharged a cosworth BD series engine and made over 700HP using a spin off of that F1 fuel blend.

Only once was I able to follow an F1 car for a few seconds, around the track during an open test. The heat plume from the exhaust was flat out remarkable. While mixing cars was very frowned upon then, they did allow it occasionally if someone had a valid reason to test.

Met Caroll Shelby there too. He and I walked up the stairs to the convention center. He had a very hard time making it to the top and stopped about half way up. I stayed with him and had some interesting chat. He was very forward looking and wanted to talk about what was up and coming. Especially turbocharged engines.


Meeting Shelby would be a great bedtime story for many. Only American car company I would have any interest in. He was the Ferdinand Porsche of America. I loved his enthusiasm and forward thinking. Thanks for sharing!!!!
 
Originally Posted by Marco620
Originally Posted by Cujet
Originally Posted by Kawiguy454
Those things were fire breathing monsters! The echoes between buildings as they blasted down the streets of Detroit were fantastic. And the smell of the fuel in the air was unforgettable. We may never get that level of visceral experience from racing again. Of some interest was the use of ultra high octane fuels in those machines. Most people are completely clueless about what Octane is and when/why it is needed this a good example of that.


I was there at the Detroit Grand Prix a few times. We developed Ford Motorsport stuff and raced a Mustang turbo. What a joke compared to these guys. But we did learn about using Toluene and N Heptane as a fuel. The result was that we could run as much boost as we dare, no risk of detonation. We then turbocharged a cosworth BD series engine and made over 700HP using a spin off of that F1 fuel blend.

Only once was I able to follow an F1 car for a few seconds, around the track during an open test. The heat plume from the exhaust was flat out remarkable. While mixing cars was very frowned upon then, they did allow it occasionally if someone had a valid reason to test.

Met Caroll Shelby there too. He and I walked up the stairs to the convention center. He had a very hard time making it to the top and stopped about half way up. I stayed with him and had some interesting chat. He was very forward looking and wanted to talk about what was up and coming. Especially turbocharged engines.


Meeting Shelby would be a great bedtime story for many. Only American car company I would have any interest in. He was the Ferdinand Porsche of America. I loved his enthusiasm and forward thinking. Thanks for sharing!!!!


Agreed, thanks for sharing that experience, Cujet@
 
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