In June 1978 a Formula One car won a race by 34.6 seconds, and never raced again. Almost every retelling says it was banned for being too fast.
It wasn’t. The governing body examined it and ruled it legal. Its own team took it away.
SOURCES — every factual claim in this video comes from:
wikipedia: 1978_Swedish_Grand_Prix
wikipedia: Brabham
wikipedia: Brabham_BT46
wikipedia: Chaparral_2J
wikipedia: Gordon_Murray_Automotive
wikipedia: Lotus_79
wikipedia: Niki_Lauda
racer.com/2021/11/09/special-won-and-done-the-brabham-bt46b-fan-car
autoevolution.com/news/story-of-the-legendary-brabham-bt46b-fan-car-and-some-forgotten-facts-about-it-207631.html
motorsport.com/f1/news/banned-tech-brabham-bt46b-fan/4808234/
motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/february-2025/88/1978-brabham-bt46b-fan-car/
motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/january-2008/70/lunch-gordon-murray/
motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/gordon-murray-looks-back-notorious-brabham-fan-car/
motorsportmagazine.com/articles/sports-cars/car-that-blew-the-others-away-racing-the-fan-powered-chaparral-2j/
the-race.com/formula-1/nine-things-you-may-not-know-about-brabhams-iconic-f1-fan-car/
IMAGE CREDITS — all via Wikimedia Commons, under the licence shown.
Find any item at commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ then File: plus its name below.
Swedish Grand Prix 1973 (JOKAMAL3B08-14) — Markku Lepola (BY 4.0)
2 Rudholm II — Arvid Samuelsson (BY-SA 2.0)
Scandinavian Raceway 1978 — User:Cherkash (BY-SA 4.0)
Mario andretti (51221426676) — Zach Catanzareti Photo (BY 2.0)
Jody Scheckter, Alan Jones, Niki Lauda, Riccardo Patrese %26 C — Martin Lee (BY-SA 2.0)
Brands-hatch — PD
1974 Brabham BT44 — Calreyn88 (BY-SA 4.0)
Carlos Pace Brabham BT45 1976 British Grand Prix — Gillfoto (BY-SA 3.0)
Niki Lauda – Brabham BT46 at Druids at the 1978 British Grand — Martin Lee (BY-SA 2.0)
Niki Lauda – Brabham BT46 heads up towards Druids at the 1978 — Martin Lee (BY-SA 2.0)
Niki Lauda – Brabham BT46 exits Druids at the 1978 British Gra — Martin Lee (BY-SA 2.0)
1978 Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46B Fan Car — Calreyn88 (BY-SA 4.0)
Brabham BT46B Fan Cover at Formula 1 Exhibition, London — Hullian111 (BY-SA 4.0)
2001 Goodwood Festival of Speed Brabham BT46B Fan car — edvvc (BY 2.0)
Brabham BT46B NEC Aug 1994 (51896460067) — Tony Hisgett (BY 2.0)
1978 Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46B — Calreyn88 (BY-SA 4.0)
1978 Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46B Fan Car — Calreyn88 (BY-SA 4.0)
Bonnier, Chaparral 2D, 1966-06-03 (Sp) — Lothar Spurzem (BY-SA 2.0 de)
DSC 0112 (5894563452) — Jake Archibald (BY 2.0)
Chaparral 2E front-right 2005 Monterey Historic — Craig Howell (BY 2.0)
Chaparral 2F – Mike Spence – 1967 — Lothar Spurzem (BY-SA 2.0 de)
Chaparral 2J — Hugh Lunnon (BY-SA 2.0)
Colin Chapman, de manager van autocoureur Jim Clark, die door — CC0
Lotus 72E Cosworth DFV at Quail 2023 — Prova MO (BY-SA 4.0)
Ford Cosworth V8 DFV (26850710931) — Falcon® Photography (BY-SA 2.0)
Bernie Ecclestone — PD
Michael Schumacher Bernie Ecclestone September 1991 — Unknown authorUnknown author (BY 2.0)
A Escuderia Emerson Fittipaldi Copersucar, Jacarepagua, 1978 — Sérgio Valle Duarte .mw-pars (BY 3.0)
Ferrari 312T3 at Goodwood 2012 — Nic Redhead (BY-SA 2.0)
Carlos Reutemann Walkins Glen Ferrari 1978 — Wjwalrus (BY-SA 3.0)
Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2011 (20828) — Lee Vilenski (BY-SA 4.0)
Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2011 (30795) — Lee Vilenski (BY-SA 4.0)
Niki Lauda, Bestanddeelnr 928-0040 — CC0
Niki Lauda, 1975 British Grand Prix — Gillfoto (BY-SA 3.0)
Lauda at 1982 Dutch Grand Prix — CC0
Niki Lauda – El Gr%C3%A1fico 2971 — PD
Lotus 78 NEC Jan 1994 (51897761989) — Tony Hisgett (BY 2.0)
Lotus 78 JPS (51862361980) — Tony Hisgett (BY 2.0)
Lotus 79 (52599952227) — Thomas Vogt (BY 2.0)
Lotus 79, R. Peterson (1978) — Milan Tošnar (BY 4.0)
R%C3%A9tromobile 2018 – McLaren M23 – 1974 – 001 — Thesupermat (BY-SA 4.0)
McLaren M26 James Hunt NEC Jan 1994 (51896461452) — Tony Hisgett (BY 2.0)
Lotus at Monza 1978 (2) — giuengi (BY 2.0)
Wolf at Monza 1978 — giuengi (BY 2.0)
N%C3%BCrburg Germany Fahrsicherheitszentrum-N%C3%BCrburgring-0 — CEphoto (BY-SA 3.0)
Ren%C3%A9 Arnoux Renault RS01 Goodwood Festival of Speed 2018 — https://www.flickr.com/photo (BY 2.0)
Swedish Grand Prix 1973 (JOKAMAL3B08-14) — Markku Lepola (BY 4.0)
2023 Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 Pre Series Prototype 2 HCC2 — MrWalkr (BY-SA 4.0)
GMA T.50 at PB 2022 — Prova MO (BY-SA 4.0)
2024 Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 — MrWalkr (BY-SA 4.0)
GMA T.50 engine compartment at Quail 2023 — Prova MO (BY-SA 4.0)
Wolf WR1 at Barber 01 — Legends Of Motorsports (BY-SA 2.0)
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