Phil Hill, 1961

People

It’s amazing to think, with the current controversy raging about team orders and corporate shenanigans seeping into the noble Scuderia’s image, that in the first year of Ferrari’s entry into the rear engined, 1500cc Formula One, they were so gentlemanly and yet still dominant.

The Shark nosed 156 had at it’s heart a V6 engine whose banks were angled at 120 degrees: crucially smoother and more efficient than other engines with less of a rake. This, combined with the innovative nostrils on the shark nose (an aerodynamic  styling flourish that was revived for the F430 more recently) and of course the skills of Hill and his team mates, made the 156 unbeatable.

There’s great footage below of the Spa GP of that year, when the 156 Ferraris finished in the top four places.  Let’s hope Ferrari shake off their recent tarnishes and return to their haloed roots.

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3 Responses to “Phil Hill, 1961”

  1. enzo farrari

    real f1 not like now.with that stupid bernie eclstone in charge what is the man thinking v8,s this is 2010. have we gone back in time? .were,s the v12,s gone i know were they have gone mr bernie did not like mr enzo farrari very much so now was his chance to get rid of what the late great man brought to f1 the v12.and that is why the sport seems dull now. i think if enzo was still here f1 would all be racing with v16,s now.

  2. Car Designer

    lol. Ok then stick the above F1 car against the current designs and see what happens. Enzo Ferrari designed road cars. F1 was and is a totally different animal. The sport has constently changed and now we are in an era that in fifty years wil be among the greatest. You could ask questions all day in terms of aero dynamics and turbos & kerbs each formula one car will out perform the the previous nine times out of ten. It is now possible for the driver to survive crashes in motor sport. Ayrton Senna was the last big death and that was over a decade ago, almost two. look at the stats for sixties era F1 drivers. Some of the greatest talents died in the car. Eevn the sport we all love is not worth a life. Current cars an improvement hands down. Also with current designs bigger engines would not result in better cars due to power to weight ratio and no re fueling.

  3. total rubbish try watching the enzo farrari video the man the legend and you will find out just after ww2 enzo made the 1st v12 engine for f1. and most of his road cars were just toned down versions of f1 cars .olso you sat safer then how about the rad bull car the other day when it was airborn with a v8 in. it comes to something when a road car like the buggati veyron has a bigger engine then an f1 car . as as for aerodynamics what about a new f1 v12 f1 car get real v8,s are history bring back the v12 into formula 1 eclestone is still anoyed he did not make the v12 for f1 as enzo once named him a garage owner not a ture f1 man enzo was a race driver and enginer and business man