RON TAURANAC: Well, I had to build my own car to be able to drive.

Q: Like a lot of people, you started out as a driver … In this interview from 2003, Tauranac shared his thoughts on the evolution of race car design, the importance of keeping secrets – and what he really thought of Chapman. Where Chapman prioritized performance and innovation – sometimes at the risk of fragility – Tauranac’s Brabhams and Ralts were intentionally conservative, simple and reliable.

Tauranac’s cars were the antithesis of the Lotuses designed by compatriot Colin Chapman. He was also responsible for Brabham’s vast fleet of Formula 2 cars in the 1960s, its BT12 Ind圜ar (which was later used as the platform for the Brawner Hawk that took Mario Andretti to the 1965 USAC title), and its occasional forays into sportscars.Īway from Brabham, the Australian founded Ralt, which became one of the world’s biggest manufacturer of open-wheelers during the 1970s and 1980s, and later moved into consulting roles for clients as varied as Honda, Arrows, and V8 Supercar team Dick Johnson Racing. He designed all of the Brabham F1 cars from the team’s inception in 1962 through to its sale to Bernie Ecclestone in 1972, winning two world championships with Jack Brabham along the way. Ron Tauranac penned a lot of race cars, although he’s perhaps best-known for his association with Brabham.

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