The BRM Hepworth GB1 Is a V8 Can-Am Monster You Never Knew Existed

With unrestricted engine sizes and aerodynamics, the series welcomed a few wild vehicles at the track, many of them built by Jim Hall's Chaparral outfit. The latter pioneered a series of technologies later used in Formula One. Porsche also developed the monstrous 917/30 specifically for this series.

McLaren was the first constructor to dominate the series, winning five back-to-back championships with Chevrolet-powered cars from 1967 to 1971. Lola, yet another British carmaker, did the same after the series was revived with new regulations in 1977 (after a two-year hiatus).

All these cars were driven by some of the greatest racers out there, including John Surtees, Bruce McLaren, Mark Donohue, Denny Hulme, Jackie Oliver, Al Unser Jr., and even Jacques Villeneuve. But just like any racing series, Can-Am also included cars that were far from successful and made short-lived appearances at the track. The BRM Hepworth GB1 is one of them.

The GB1 started life in 1979 as a Formula One car. Specifically, it was the last F1 chassis developed by the British Racing Motors team. Called P230, it was supposed to get a 500-horsepower V12 engine and was due to be driven by Neil Bettridge in the British Formula One championship. The project was scrapped after the testing stage, and the P230 never made it on the race track.

The chassis was then bought by David Hepworth, a British hill-climb ace who also drove BRM cars in the Interserie championship, a European version of Can-Am. Hepworth modified the P230 to Can-Am spec and fitted it with a Chevrolet V8 engine, but the newly-designed GB1 was crashed and severely damaged before it could be raced.

Shipped back to the United Kingdom after the crash, the GB1 sat in a shop for decades until the Hepworths restored it to 1980 specifications. Finished in an orange livery identical to the one used by McLaren during its golden Can-Am years, the rebuilt GB1 was first showcased publicly at the 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The race car made a second appearance at the iconic event in 2022.

While early 1980s Can-Am cars weren't quite as powerful as their early 1970s predecessors, the GB1 is still a wild sight due to its wedge-shaped bodywork and massive rear wing. And needless to say, the way it sticks to the ground and the piercing sound of the race-spec Chevy V8 definitely reminds me of the golden era when McLaren, Porsche, Lola, and Chaparral were fighting for supremacy. And it makes me happy it was restored despite lacking any historical significance.