The Big Car Database

Connaught

Connaught
Connaught Engineering.png
Full name United Kingdom Connaught Engineering
Base Send, Surrey, United Kingdom
Founder(s) Rodney Clarke
Mike Oliver
Noted staff Kenneth McAlpine
Noted drivers United Kingdom Stuart Lewis-Evans
United Kingdom Stirling Moss
Formula One World Championship career
First entry 1952 British Grand Prix
Races entered 18
Constructors'
Championships
0
Drivers'
Championships
0
Race victories 0
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
Final entry 1959 United States Grand Prix

Connaught Engineering, often referred to simply as Connaught, was a Formula One and sports car constructor from the United Kingdom.

Their cars participated in 18 Grands Prix, entering a total of 52 races with their A, B, and C Type Formula 2 and Formula 1 Grand Prix Cars They achieved 1 podium and scored 17 championship points The name Connaught is a pun on Continental Autos, the garage in Send, Surrey, which specialised in sales and repair of European sports cars such as Bugatti, and where the cars were built

History

In 1950 the first single-seaters, the Formula 2 "A" types, used an engine that was developed by Connaught from the Lea-Francis engine used in their "L" type sports cars. The engine was extensively re-engineered and therefore is truly a Connaught engine. The cars were of conventional construction for the time with drive through a preselector gearbox to a de Dion rear axle. In 1952 and 1953 the races counting towards the World Championship were to Formula 2 rules so drivers of these cars could take part in those events as the table below shows.

Connaught designed a new car for the 2½ litre Formula 1 of 1954 which was to have a rear-mounted Coventry Climax V8 engine (the "Godiva"), but when the engine was not proceeded with, a conventionally arranged "B" type was designed using an Alta engine developed into 2½ litre form. The first cars were built with all-enveloping aerodynamic bodywork but later rebodied conventionally (as the photos below show). In 1955, driving a Connaught in this form, Tony Brooks scored the first win in a Grand Prix by a British driver in a British car since 1923, in a non World Championship race at Syracuse. Thereafter the "B" type has been known as the "Syracuse" Connaught and the name was used for the car presented in the 2004 revival

In 1962, Jack Fairman attempted to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in a Connaught race car, but failed to find the necessary speed to make the field.

Sports cars

Prior to the single-seat racing cars they built a small number of road going sports cars developed on the Lea-Francis Sports Chassis, which achieved considerable competition success. These were of types L2 and L3, and three examples of the stark Cycle Winged L3/SR Sports Racer. Two sports cars, based on the A Type Formula 2 cars, the ALSRs were also built for competition work.

In 2004, the Connaught name was revived by Connaught Motor Company for their Type D Syracuse and Type D-H hybrid supercars.

 

Complete Drivers' World Championship results

(key)

Year Chassis Engine Driver Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 WCC Points
1952         SUI 500 BEL FRA GBR GER NED ITA       -* -*
Connaught Type A Lea-Francis Straight-4 Ken Downing Ken Downing             Ret        
Connaught Engineering         9            
Eric Thompson         5            
Kenneth McAlpine         16     Ret      
Stirling Moss               Ret      
Dennis Poore         4            
Connaught Racing Syndicate               12      
1953         ARG 500 NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA     -* -*
Connaught Type A Lea-Francis Straight-4 Kenneth McAlpine Connaught Engineering     Ret     Ret 13   NC    
Stirling Moss     9                
Roy Salvadori     Ret   Ret Ret Ret   Ret    
Prince Bira         Ret 7 Ret        
Jack Fairman                 NC    
Johnny Claes Ecurie Belge     Ret   12   Ret   Ret    
André Pilette       NC              
Ian Stewart Ecurie Ecosse           Ret          
Tony Rolt Rob Walker Racing Team           Ret          
1954         ARG 500 BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA ESP     -* -*
Connaught Type A Lea-Francis Straight-4 Leslie Marr         13            
Bill Whitehouse         Ret            
Don Beauman Sir Jeremy Boles         11            
Leslie Thorne Ecurie Ecosse         14            
John Riseley-Prichard Rob Walker Racing Team         Ret            
1955         ARG MON 500 BEL NED GBR ITA         -* -*
Connaught Type B Alta Straight-4 Kenneth McAlpine Connaught Engineering           Ret          
Jack Fairman           DNS          
Tony Rolt           Ret±          
Peter Walker           Ret±          
Leslie Marr           Ret          
1956         ARG MON 500 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA       -* -*
Connaught Type B Alta Straight-4 Archie Scott Brown Connaught Engineering           Ret          
Desmond Titterington           Ret          
Jack Fairman           4   5      
Ron Flockhart               3      
Les Leston               Ret      
Piero Scotti       Ret              
1957         ARG MON 500 FRA GBR GER PSC ITA       -* -*
Connaught Type B Alta Straight-4 Stuart Lewis-Evans Connaught Engineering   4                  
Ivor Bueb   Ret                  
1958         ARG MON NED 500 BEL FRA GBR GER POR ITA MOR NC 0
Connaught Type B Alta Straight-4 Ivor Bueb Bernie Ecclestone             Ret        
Bruce Kessler   DNQ                  
Paul Emery   DNQ         DNQ        
Jack Fairman             Ret        
Bernie Ecclestone   DNQ                  
1959         MON 500 NED FRA GBR GER POR ITA USA     NC 0
Connaught Type C Alta Straight-4 Bob Said Connaught Cars / Paul Emery                 Ret    

*Constructors points not awarded until 1958
± = Indicates a shared drive