Brabham BT8 SC-7-64

Built for 1964 season.  Brabham Racing Organisation (UK) 1964 with 2.75-litre Climax.

The car was due to appear at the British GP meeting in Bib Stillwell's hands (AS 10 Jul 1964 p72) but could not be completed until the Guards Trophy at Brands Hatch on 3 August. Brabham had to qualify in Denny Hulme's Team Elite 2-litre BT8 as the BT8 was still being finished and had to start from the back. After ten laps he had moved through the 30-car field to eighth and even slipped past Graham Hill's Ferrari 330P before the finish to place third (AS 7 Aug 1964 pp214-216).

In May 2002, Robs Lamplough added to this history:

The engine [from Robs' SC-1-64] went into the Dave Morris's SC-7-64 in San Diego (Jack Brabham had demolished the 2.75Lit. unit at Laguna). I then raced it for one local race at Candlestick Park before Dave flew the car to Nassau for the Speedweek in Dec '64. Ended up severely crashing the car into a palm tree. The car was returned to the factory where it was re-chassied. The highly bent original chassis remained out a the back of the Brabham factory, by the Canal for many years. I last saw it in 1967. That was the last time that I was invited to race by Bill!!

In November 2003, Jim Hawes contributed these notes:

I was working at Dale Shoupe's Quality Foreign where the car was kept in San Diego. I think the early history of the car has been acurately documented. It was brought to Riverside in 1964 by Brabham. After the Riverside race, David Morris purchased the car from Brabham for Cliff Hayworth to drive. An arrangement was subsequently reached with Brabham to drive the car one last time at Laguna Seca GP. The car was well up (3rd or 4th I believe) in the race when the engine failed. Robs Lamplough has documented what happened at Nassau. After the Nassau shunt it was returned to San Diego from the Brabham factory in September of 1965 in "as new" condition, having been completely rebuilt with a new frame. David Morris entered the car at Laguna Seca (October? 1965) for Alan Johnson who was a well known amateur Porsche driver. The car got upside down in Friday's practice and did not race. It was sold to Dr. Tom Tobin who, with Patrick Ryan, rebuilt the car and installed a Traco Olds in place of the 2L Climax. The car was raced a few times by Tobin and qualified for the 1966 Times Grand Prix at Riverside. It was excluded from the race [...]. It was subsequently sold (I assume to Chuck McConnell). The 2L Climax engine ended up in a LeGrand Sports Racer built for Dr. George Hollinger (a friend of Tobins who had previously raced a Lola T70). The original 2.7L Climax engine remained in San Diego for many years the block having been completely "ventilated" at Laguna in 1964.

Subsequently Chuck McConnell - David Koehn - Jim Herlinger - Hank Fallek - David Larson - Roland Davies - Robin Depry - Kerry Morse - Phillippe de Lesinay by 1987.  Retained 1993.