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THE COSWORTH DFV
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL ENGINE EVER DESIGNED FOR FORMULA 1
In 1965, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, that administered Formula One racing, agreed to raise the series' maximum engine capacity from 1.5 litres (92 cu in) to 3.0 litres (183 cu in) from 1966. Up until that point, Colin Chapman's successful Team Lotus cars had relied on power from fast revving Coventry Climax engines, but with the change in regulations Coventry Climax decided for business reasons not to develop a large capacity engine.
To maintain their competitive edge Chapman realised that quick action was required and contacted Keith Duckworth, previously a gearbox engineer at Lotus but now running his fledgling Cosworth company with Mike Costin. Duckworth commented that he could produce a competitive three litre engine if Chapman could raise a development budget of £100,000.
"We thought it must be possible to make an interesting living messing about with racing cars and engines. That was the total objective behind the formation of Cosworth."
Keith Duckworth
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After first approaching Ford and Aston Martin for funding, without initial success Chapman contacted former journalist Walter Hayes who headed up Ford's public relations in the UK. Since Hayes had joined Ford in 1962 the pair had already collaborated in the production of the successful Lotus Cortina, introduced in 1963.
With Hayes keen to see the project succeed he convinced Ford to commit the required resources and the final business plan for the development of the DFV was given the stamp of approval.
In mid-1966 Duckworth began drawing his designs for a 3-litre V8 with twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, destined for acclaim as the Ford Cosworth DFV - double four valve. The contract stipulated provision of five engines for the following racing season.
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| Keith Duckworth |
Duckworth became a hermit for nine months, focusing intently on his brainchild for 16 hours a day away from the distractions of his office, and losing 40 lbs in the process.
Little did anyone dream - including Duckworth, Chapman, Hayes and Henry Ford II - where this enterprise would lead.
At the third race of the 1967 season, Chapman's Lotus 49, sporting a DFV bolted to the cockpit and forming the car's rear chassis, made its debut at the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix. Graham Hill, who was in the team at the specific request of Ford and Hayes, put his car on pole position by half a second, but it was team-mate Jim Clark who stormed home to win.
Clark proved this was no flash in the pan by also winning in Britain, the United States and Mexico.
After Clark's death in a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim in early 1968, it fell to Graham Hill to win that year's drivers' championship with the DFV-powered Lotus, which also took the manufacturers' title.
Initially, the agreement between Ford, Cosworth and Lotus was binding on all parties, and Ford as the funder had no plans to sell or hire the DFV to any other teams. However, it occurred to Hayes that there was no competition: the Ferrari engine was underpowered; the BRM complex and too heavy; the Maserati unreliable; the Honda overweight; while Dan Gurney's Eagle Weslake motor was powerful but unreliable. Only Brabham's Oldsmobile-derived Repco engine provided a usable combination of power and reliability, but its age and design left little room for further improvement.
Hayes concluded that Ford's name could become tarnished if the Lotus were to continue winning against only lesser opposition, and that they should agree to use the unit in other teams, and hence potentially dominate Formula One.
At the end of 1967, Copp and Hayes gently explained to Chapman that he would no longer have monopoly use of the DFV and in August 1968 it was announced that the power unit would be available for sale, via Cosworth Engineering, to racing teams throughout the world.
DFV ROLL OF HONOUR
D = DRIVERS WORLD CHAMPIONS
C = CONSTRUCTORS WORLD CHAMPIONS |
| 1968 |
D GRAHAM HILL |
| C TEAM LOTUS |
| 1969 |
D JACJIE STEWART |
| C MATRA SPORTS |
| 1970 |
D JOCHEN RINDT |
| C TEAM LOTUS |
| 1971 |
D JACKIE STEWART |
| C TYRRELL RACING |
| 1972 |
D EMERSON FITTIPALDI |
| C TEAM LOTUS |
| 1973 |
D JACKIE STEWART |
| C TEAM LOTUS |
| 1974 |
D EMERSON FITTIPALDI |
| C MARLBORO TEAM TEXACO |
| 1976 |
D JAMES HUNT |
| 1978 |
D MARIO ANDRETTI |
| C TEAM LOTUS |
| 1980 |
D ALAN JONES |
| C WILLIAMS FORD |
| 1981 |
D NELSON PIQUET |
| C WILLIAMS FORD |
| 1982 |
D KEKE ROSBERG |
Hayes released the DFV initially to French team Matra, headed by Ken Tyrrell with Jackie Stewart as a driver. What followed was a golden age, where teams big or small could buy an engine which was competitive, light, compact, easy to work with and relatively cheap (£7,500 at 1967 prices). The DFV effectively replaced the Coventry Climax as the standard F1 powerplant.
Lotus, McLaren, Matra, Brabham, March, Surtees, Tyrrell, Hesketh, Lola, Williams, Penske, Wolf and Ligier are just some of the teams to have used the DFV.
In 1969 and 1973 every World Championship race was won by DFV-powered cars, with the engine taking a total of 155 wins from 262 races between 1967 and 1985.
The advent of ground effect aerodynamics in 1977 provided a new lease of life for the now decade-old engine. The principle relied on Venturi tunnels on the underside of the car to create low pressure regions and thus additional downforce. Previously, teams running Ferrari and Alfa-Romeo flat-12 engines had enjoyed a handling advantage because of the low centre of gravity in such a configuration. However for ground effect, the wide-angle engine was completely the opposite of what was required: the cylinder heads protruded into the area where the Venturi tunnels should have been.
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Retro Formula 1 are truly honoured to have been able to design and produce this unique DFV Commemorative T-Shirt, under an official trade mark license from Cosworth. Since Keith Duckworth and Mike Costin founded Cosworth in 1958, this is the first DFV T-Shirt to be produced.
The front design features Duckworth's original blueprint of the DFV, while the back is dedicated to the teams and drivers who have become Formula 1 constructors and drivers world champions, powered by the DFV.
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| CLICK ON ANY PHOTO BELOW TO VIEW A LARGER IMAGE |
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Short sleeved 100% cotton jersey. Taped back neck. Contrast panels with white piping at shoulders sleeves and body sides. White piping at sleeve ends. Twin needle stitching. Weight: 180gsm Front and back graphics are a combination of screen and digital printing. Retro Formula 1 does not compromise on quality.
COSWORTH is a registered trade mark of Cosworth Limited and is used under licence |
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1967: The Lotus and DFV roll-out. L-R Maurice Phillipe, Keith Duckworth, Mike Costin and Colin Chapman |
In contrast, the V-configuration of the Cosworth engine angled the cylinders upwards and left ample space under the car for the necessary under-body profile.
The onset of the turbo era in the early 1980s put an end to the DFV's F1 activities, as even with modifications the 15-year-old engine could not hope to compete with the vast power being put out by the new 1.5 litre turbocharged engines.
Michele Alboreto took the DFV's last F1 win in a Tyrrell at Detroit in 1983, and Martin Brundle was the last person to race in F1 with a DFV, also in a Tyrrell at the Austrian Grand Prix in 1985.
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| FIRST AND LAST DFV DRIVERS WORLD CHAMPIONS: L-R Keke Rosberg in the Williams FW08 (1982) and Graham Hill in the Lotus T49 (1968) |
COSWORTH TODAY
Cosworth has a great strong pedigree in Formula One. In 41 seasons the company has developed 16 engine families and raced 51 engine variants, all of which trace their design heritage back to the ancestor of all modern F1 engines; the Cosworth DFV.
2010 saw Cosworth make a welcomed return to the Formula One Championships. For the 2011 season, Cosworth will be supplying their 53rd engine variant, the CA2011k to AT&T Williams, Hispania Racing Team (HRT) and Virgin Racing. The engine is the successor to the CA2010 (pictured below) which powered the Williams, Virgin, HRT and Lotus teams to 1,129 laps, 5,795kms and 19 races without missing a beat. Cars running the CA2010 achieved 100% reliability during their 2010 campaings.
That extraodinary record speaks volumes about Cosworth.
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As Lead Engineer, James Allen explains, Cosworth’s engineering heritage means the starting point of engine development is not a blank sheet of paper.
“The 40 years that Cosworth has spent creating F1 engines means that we have a wealth of understanding in terms of what to do and what not to do when piecing the various assemblies of a new design together. The Cosworth heritage for our design teams is not the cars, drivers or trophies from the 176 wins or 23 championships; it’s the knowledge that has passed from engineer to engineer over the decades.”
For more information about Cosworth in Formula One, please visit their website:
www.cosworthformula1.com
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| PRICING |
| UK £ |
| PRICE |
26.95 |
| POST |
3.50 |
| TOTAL |
30.45 |
| EUROPE £ |
| PRICE |
26.95 |
| POST |
4.50 |
| TOTAL |
31.45 |
| REST OF WORLD £ |
| PRICE |
26.95 |
| POST |
6.00 |
| TOTAL |
32.95 |
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| SIZING
CHART |
| SIZE |
CHEST |
S |
35/37 |
M |
38/40 |
L |
41/43 |
XL |
44/46 |
XXL |
47/49 |
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| DETAIL |
| • |
100% cotton jersey
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| • |
Taped back neck |
| • |
Twin needle stitching |
| • |
Contrast panels and white piping |
| • |
180gsm |
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ALL MERCHANDISE IS DESIGNED AND HANDMADE IN GREAT BRITAIN BY RETRO FORMULA 1
Please bare this in mind when ordering as a gift. Due to demand, despatch can take 3 to 10 days. If you have any doubts that your garment may not arrive in time, please email us. |
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