Grand Prix design

With present-day high-revving vee-type engines the need for 5- or 6-speed gearboxes is essential, in order that the driver can keep the engine working in the narrow power band of r.p.m. Some manufacturers build their own gearboxes others have them built by outside firms, while another way out is to adapt a proprietary gearbox.

In all the examples illustrated, the gearboxes are mounted at the rear of the cars, behind the back-axle centre line, and it is interesting to study some of the gearchange linkages designed to connect the gearbox to the gearlever.

In all cases the gearboxes are mounted overhung, while in the case of the 1963 stressed-skin Ferrari the gearbox is mounted on the rear of the engine only, the engine/gearbox aggregate forming the rear of the chassis structure. Lotus use a German-built ZF gearbox, Cooper an English-built Jack Knight gearbox, B.R.M. one of their own construction, Brabham an English-built Hewland gearbox using a Volkswagen casing, Ferrari one of his own construction, and A.T.S. an Italian-built Colotti gearbox.—D.S.J.