Ensign was a Formula One constructor from Britain. They participated in 133 grands prix, entering a total of 155 cars. Ensign scored 19 championship points and no podium finishes. The best result was a 4th place at the 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix by Marc Surer, who also took fastest lap of the race.

Not many Formula One teams were lucky enough to number Chris Amon, Clay Regazzoni, Patrick Tambay and Jacky Ickx among their drivers. Then again, very few teams suffered Team Ensign’s appalling long-term bad luck. Ensign was a team that deserved better.

Ensign was founded by Morris Nunn who also carried out design duties during the first two seasons of the team's existence. Nunn would later go on to be a prominent chief engineer in the American-based Champ Car series, winning championships with drivers Alex Zanardi and Juan Pablo Montoya in the late 1990s.

Morris (Mo) Nuffield Nunn had never actually been to a motor racing meeting until 1963, when he was 24. He bought a  Cooper-Climax from a showroom for £850. Three years later he drove an F3 during what is generally agreed to have been the golden age for that formula.

In 1973, the Ensign Racing team entered Formula One with their first car, the Ensign N173, financed by pay driver Rikky von Opel. Designed by Mo Nunn and powered by a Ford Cosworth DFV engine, the car debuted at the 1973 French Grand Prix, but the season was a challenging learning experience, with von Opel's best result being a 13th-place finish at the British Grand Prix. The N173's all-enveloping rear bodywork was a distinctive feature, though it did not lead to significant success. 

n173

The Ensign N173 was Ensign Racing's debut Formula 1 car in 1973, designed by Mo Nunn and privately financed by its driver, Rikky von Opel, a member of the Adam Opel family. The car, powered by a Ford Cosworth DFV engine and featuring a distinct low, wide nose radiator, debuted at the 1973 French Grand Prix, where von Opel finished 15th, the first and only driver from Liechtenstein to compete in F1. 

The car was built around a monocoque chassis and powered by the ubiquitous Ford Cosworth DFV engine, connected to a 5-speed Hewland gearbox. 

The N173 established Ensign's presence in Formula 1, and Rikky von Opel became the first and only driver from Liechtenstein to enter a Grand Prix, a feat achieved with this car. 

n174

The Ensign N174 was Ensign Racing's second Formula 1 car, used in 1974, 1975, and 1976, and was a modified version of the earlier N173 with a focus on easier maintenance. It was powered by a Ford Cosworth DFV engine and Hewland gearbox and was driven by various drivers, including Rikky von Opel, Roelof Wunderink, Gijs van Lennep, and Chris Amon. While it was successful in securing points for the team, the N174 served as a transitional car until the team developed the more competitive N175 and N176 models. 

An aluminium monocoque with conventional outboard suspension, the N174 was an evolution of the N173, designed by Mo Nunn with improvements to its rear suspension, airbox, and water/oil systems for better reliability and maintenance. 

The car featured the reliable Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 engine. 

 The N174 helped Ensign secure its first Formula 1 points, with Gijs van Lennep finishing sixth in Germany in 1975. It was a transitional car that allowed the team to continue their F1 learning process while developing more advanced designs like the N175 and N176. 

n175

The Ensign N175 was a British-built Formula One car from 1975, designed by Dave Baldwin and funded by Dutch sponsor HB Bewaking, and was driven by Dutch drivers Roelof Wunderink and Gijs van Lennep, as well as Chris Amon. Van Lennep secured Ensign's first points in F1 with a 6th-place finish at the 1975 German Grand Prix, though the car saw limited success overall and was later renamed Boro 001 after HB Bewaking's sponsorship ended. 

Gijs van Lennep secured the first championship points for Ensign by finishing sixth. 

 The car initially featured an airbox designed by Ensign but was replaced during the season due to functionality issues. After the 1975 season, the car chassis MN04 was renamed Boro 001 and used by other drivers, including Larry Perkins. 

n176

The Ensign N176 was a Formula 1 car built by the British Ensign Racing team for the 1976 season, designed by Dave Baldwin and featuring an outboard brakes setup to a request from driver Chris Amon. Although it showed promise with strong qualifying results, the N176 was hampered by fragility and the team's limited finances, leading to a difficult season for Amon and driver Jacky Ickx. One of the car's most dramatic incidents was a crash and fire involving Ickx at the 1976 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. 

 The N176 made its debut at the fifth race of the 1976 season, the Belgian Grand Prix. Despite good chassis performance, the N176 was noted for its fragility, a condition worsened by the team's lack of financial resources. 

The N176 is remembered for its promising but ultimately limited performance, embodying the challenges of a small team competing against larger, better-funded outfits. 

n177

The Ensign N177 was a Formula 1 car built by the British team Ensign Racing, designed by Dave Baldwin and Mo Nunn and used in the 1977, 1978, and early 1979 seasons. It was powered by a Ford Cosworth DFV V8 engine and is considered the most successful car in Ensign's history, scoring a total of 11 points across two seasons. Key drivers for the N177 included Clay Regazzoni, Nelson Piquet, and Geoff Lees. 

Clay Regazzoni secured five points for the team while driving an N177. It was the most successful car in Ensign's history.

The N177 was not only used in Formula 1 but also competed in the Aurora AFX British F1 Championship, with one car achieving success in the series. 

The N177 was succeeded by the entirely new ground-effect N179.

n179

1979

The Ensign N179 was a Formula One car for the 1979 season, notable for its unconventional, wide monocoque design with front-mounted radiators intended to improve aerodynamic ground-effect efficiency. Designed by Dave Baldwin for Mo Nunn's Team Ensign, the N179 was powered by a Cosworth DFV V8 engine and Hewland gearbox. Despite its innovative concept, the car was not successful, failing to score points, struggling with performance, and ultimately leading to its abandonment mid-season. Drivers included Derek Daly, Patrick Gaillard, and Marc Surer. 

To accommodate the car's wide monocoque and tunnels for ground effects, the radiators were moved to the front, a decision that led to its distinctive and often criticized appearance. This design was significantly revised, returning to a more conventional layout after the South African GP.  The N179 is often remembered as one of the ugliest Formula One cars.

The car struggled throughout the season, with drivers only qualifying for a few races and scoring no championship points. 

n180

Ensign had somehow competed in ten seasons in Formula One. 1982 was the last for Ensign, because Theodore and Ensign merged in 1983 to become Theodore. A new car, the Nigel-Bennett-designed N183, was available and Teddy Yip’s money provided some stability.