When a BTCC star pioneered the origins of Britain’s F1 dominance

Vanwall, BRM, Cooper and Lotus. When it comes to the early days of British motorsport success these are the names most commonly given credit. Certainly they all played their part in Formula 1 in the 1950s, but two decades earlier a different firm had given a hint of what was possible for a UK operation.

When English Racing Automobiles began building Voiturettes in 1934 – effectively the pre-World War II Formula 2, it had been a decade since Britain’s last significant single-seater success in Europe. Following Henry Segrave’s victory at the San Sebastian Grand Prix for Sunbeam in 1924, UK efforts were directed at sportscars or Britain’s first permanent race circuit, Brooklands.

The ERA changed that. Raymond Mays experienced success with a modified Riley 12/6 – the ‘White Riley’ – in 1933 and, with the support of wealthy amateur racer Humphrey Cook, founded ERA. With design and engineering input from Peter Burton, Reed Railton and Murray Jamieson, Mays developed the first ERA for the 1934 season.

Equipped with 1100cc and 1500cc supercharged six-cylinder engines, the ERAs immediately rivaled the Bugattis and Maseratis in the single-seater category below. gp racingAfter overcoming early teething troubles, he dominated the 1935 season in the hands of drivers such as Richard Seaman, who went on to race for the Mercedes-Benz GP team.

The cars also achieved success in hill climbing and, despite being overtaken by new cars from Maserati and Alfa Romeo in the late 1930s, proved useful equipment for privateers after World War II.

With the 1.5-litre supercharged/4.5-litre unsupercharged category becoming the new F1 following the end of hostilities, the ERAs became eligible for the top-tier gp racingThe venerable workhorse was never likely to score outright wins, but Bob Gerard finished third and second in the 1948 RAC and 1949 British GPs at Silverstone respectively, and was in the top six in the first two events of the newly formed World Championship in 1950.

The relatively simple and robust ERA not only proved that British engineering could compete on the world stage, but they also encouraged Mace to pursue further development with BRM (British Racing Motors), which ultimately became part of the UK’s successful growth. will be. gp racing,

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Almost as soon as the ERAs stopped participating in contemporary events, they were put into service in historical competitions. Only 17 were built and thus Survived cars are one of the most commonly used competition cars in the world,

So, it seems only right that the 80th birthday should be marked with a track test for one of the UK’s most important early racers. Thanks to current owner Nick Toplis, this is the ERA R4A waiting for us at Silverstone. And a short while later former British touring car racer Anthony Reid, a man familiar with a wide range of historic machinery, enters the garage ready to prepare for his first taste of the ERA.

Although not technically groundbreaking, the ERA had some interesting features. As well as the pre-selector gearbox, the R4A also has a primitive limited-slip differential and a fuel tank that is pressurized by a supercharger.

getting ready to go

“The first thing that struck me is what a remarkable piece of engineering this is,” says Reed. “The way it’s put together is really purposeful, designed for the job at hand. It looks really solid so just looking at the car gives me a lot of confidence. You can see it’s well put together.”

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As would be expected from a car that has competed for eight decades, few changes have been made to the R4A. No ERA was the same, and suspension, engine and chassis upgrades were introduced either side of WW2.

Perhaps most obvious on the R4A are the sloping radiator grille and two-litre engine, which it acquired in the 1940s. However, apart from the extra 500cc, prepper James Baxter believes the R4A is closer to late 1940s GP spec.

Although not technically groundbreaking, the ERA had some interesting features. As well as a pre-selector gearbox (more on this later), the R4A also has a primitive limited-slip differential and a fuel tank that is pressurized by a supercharger.

“I got the car in Austria and convinced people to sell it to me,” says Toplis, who started racing with a GN Speciale in 2012 before buying the ERA. “There really wasn’t a time when racing wasn’t there, it’s always been used and it’s everywhere.

“I never thought I would be able to buy it, but I was very lucky and I did well in business. I deliberately didn’t buy a modern car because I thought I’d go a little crazy. I thought I might be wiser if I bought something used since there are no expectations.

“As soon as you get into the vintage sports-car club and start competing, the car you really want is an ERA. This is the car I used to sketch in the back of my geography book when I was 10 years old. “This is what a race car looks and sounds like.”

Starting an ERA takes about 11 steps, but Toplis reassured Reed that things get a little simpler once you get up and running.

“People say it would be scary, but it’s really not because it’s so communicable,” he adds. “It tells you exactly what it’s doing. The level of grip is such that you just start dancing. An ERA blinks backwards all the time, but you’re watching it dance around the corner.

“It’s predictable and it’s intrinsic to the car. There’s not much you can do to set them up. There is no anti-roll bar; You can change dampers and you can change tire pressure, but the set-up does very little.

“You will see them operating in really amazing styles. I stay as casual as possible while others really pitch it up and take a full fistful of the opposite lock.

With around 260bhp on skinny tires and a damp track, however, when Toplice goes out to warm up the car he doesn’t keep it completely straight, which has a refreshed engine, back axle and gearbox for the 2014 season. He attracts Baxter’s attention with a big slide through Woodcote before handing it over to R4A.

Reed boarded the ship

Reid had never raced a pre-WW2 car and there were many things to get used to, not least the high seating position and the pre-selector gearbox, which involved selecting a gear ahead of time, then the actuator (‘clutch’ pedal ) involves dipping. You and me, even if the car doesn’t have a clutch).

Reed is initially skeptical of the methanol-fueled machine, but soon begins to get the hang of it. He goes on the run for a long time before returning the precious car to its owner.

“Wow, what an experience that was!” These are Reed’s first words before taking off his helmet. “It is quite challenging to drive, but it is a remarkable piece of 1930s engineering. And I love the gearbox.

“You realize immediately that you don’t have a seat belt, you’re sitting on top of the car, and are really exposed, but the engine is really advanced.”
anthony reed

Almost immediately, he switches back to full racing driver mode, suggesting softening the ERA, at which point the team immediately begins working towards the Toplice runs planned for the afternoon.

“It picks up all the dips and cambers on the track and loses mechanical grip,” explains Reed, who also reports understeer on corner entry and suggests freeing the differential.

engine affects

After taking some time to change and reflect, Reed remains excited and pleasantly surprised about the new experience. The engine, which can rev up to around 6000rpm, deserves praise.

“Stepping into the car and going out onto the track you immediately realize that you don’t have a seat belt, you’re sitting on top of the car, and really exposed, but the engine is really advanced,” he says. “It has a flat torque curve. This is amazing.

“The power delivery is actually quite refined as there were no pops, bangs, misfires. “It delivers very smooth power delivery and has a remarkably wide powerband.”

Reid regularly attends historic events such as the Goodwood Revival and Silverstone Classic, and feels that in some areas the ERA is stronger than the later cars he has raced.

“With cars from the 1950s and 1960s you have to keep the engine running,” he adds. “It didn’t matter what gear you were in. It just gave good, strong power, like an electric motor. You can run laps in both 3rd and 4th gear without any problem.

He’s also a fan of the pre-selector gearbox: “I wish I had a gearbox like that when I was driving Formula Ford in the 1970s! It worked well and I was immediately hooked.

“From a racing driver’s point of view, you don’t want to worry about groping for the gear lever in the most important phase of cornering, which is braking. Simply first you put it in the gear you need and then during the braking process you depress the ‘clutch’ as ​​normal and it takes the gear. This is unbelievable.

“Winning races is about making the task simpler for the driver, so things like the pre-selector gearbox really help. Racing doesn’t have to be complicated and you need both hands on the wheel…”

meet the challenge

Handling and drum brakes are the areas Reed notices the ERA’s age the most. “The brakes are a bit of a hassle,” he says. “When you brake, you get different braking forces from the four wheels because of the slack in the linkage. There is a lot of dancing going on in the breaking zone.

“But they get the car stopped and are remarkably good in the sense that they are consistent and don’t fade. The drums can be a nightmare – after two revolutions on the Jaguar C-Type they disappear completely. Cooling and venting is a big issue, so I was a little wary, but they’re fantastic.

“The dynamics of the chassis are also quite raw. The wheels don’t follow the contours of the road and you have understeer on turn-in. You have to wait until it subsides.

“Once you can open up the throttle, you have a nice, flowing power-oversteer balance right from mid-corner exit to mid-corner exit, although this requires a little courage, skill and practice! But I can see how much fun you could have with this car.

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Fun and competitiveness pretty much sums up ERA. The ERA is about the fastest cars in VSCC events and continues to rack up victory after victory, a fitting tribute to one of the important early stories of British efforts in international motorsport.