Vanwall was a British motor racing team and racing car constructor that was active in Formula One during the 1950s. Founded by Tony Vandervell, the Vanwall name was derived by combining the name of the team owner with that of his Thinwall bearings produced at the Vandervell Products factory at Acton, London.
Originally entering modified Ferraris in non-championship races, Vanwall constructed their first cars to race in the 1954 Formula One season. The team achieved their first race win in the 1957 British Grand Prix, with Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks sharing a VW 5, earning the team the distinction of constructing the first British-built car to win a World Championship race. Vanwall won the inaugural Constructors' Championship in Formula One in 1958, in the process allowing Moss and Brooks to finish second and third in the Drivers' Championship standings, each winning three races for Vanwall. Vandervell's failing health meant 1958 would be the last full season; the squad ran cars in a handful of races in the following years, but finished racing in 1961.
1954
The first actual Vanwalls were known as Vanwall Specials and were built for the new Formula 1 regulations in 1954 at Cox Green, Maidenhead.
The chassis was designed by Owen Maddock and built by the Cooper Car Company. The 2.0 L engine was designed by Norton engineer Leo Kuzmicki, and was essentially four Manx single-cylinder 498 cc engines with a common waterjacket, cylinder head (a copy of the Norton's) and valvetrain, with induction by four AMAL motorcycle carburetors.
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1957
1955
1957
1957
1956
1958
1955
At the end of the 1955 season, it was plain that the engine was sound, but that the Ferrari-derived chassis needed improvement. It was suggested to Vandervell that he should hire the services of a young up-and-coming designer to improve their cars. The designer was Colin Chapman.
1956
The new car showed early promise in 1956 by winning the non-championship F1 race at Silverstone against strong opposition. It set the lap record at Syracuse Stirling Moss drove the car to victory in what was his only drive for Vanwall that year, as he was still contracted to drive for Maserati in F1. Talented drivers Harry Schell and Maurice Trintignant were the full-timers for the season. However, neither of them had much success although the car showed obvious potential.
1957
At the end of 1957, alcohol fuels were banned and replaced by a compulsory 130-octane aviation gasoline. This caused problems for Vanwall and BRM with their large bore engines that required methanol for engine cooling. As a result, the Vanwall's power dropped from 290 bhp at 7500 rpm (308 bhp with nitromethane) to 278 bhp on the test bed. During the race, where revs were reduced, only 255–262 bhp at 7200–7400 rpm was available. This put them at a disadvantage to the new Dino Ferrari V6 cars with a claimed 286 bhp at 8300 rpm. The Vanwall's superior road holding (thanks to suspension changes, new steel wheels, and new nylon-cord Dunlop R5 racing tyres), streamlining, 5-speed gearbox, and disc brakes helped to offset this.
1958
Vanwall became the first team to win the Constructors' Championship, held for the first time that season. However, Moss lost out to Mike Hawthorn in the Drivers' Championship by a single point to finish second, with Brooks ending the season in third. Their triumph at the end of the season was sadly marred when, during the final race of the year in Morocco, Lewis-Evans was fatally injured in an accident.
The 1958 season was the last one in which Vanwall entered every race. Vandervell's health was failing and he had been advised by his doctors to rest. The team continued half-heartedly.
1959
The last racing Vanwall was an "unwieldy" rear-engined machine produced for the 1961 3.0 litre Intercontinental Formula. Although showing promise when campaigned by John Surtees in two races, development was stopped short when the formula did not find success in Europe. The engine was enlarged to 2605 cc , rated at 290 bhp on 100 octane petrol.
vw6 streamliner
In 1957 Vanwall appeared with the Vanwall VW5 on the grid. On the 14th of July, the Non-championship race at Reims was held. At that race, Vanwall appeared with the VW5. However, for the Vanwall VW6 was there as well. Abbey Panels and Frank Costin constructed the exclusively for Reims. As the Circuit was ultra-fast.
Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks were to drive the car however due to illness Roy Salvadori and Stuart Lewis-Evans took place behind the wheel. The car was only used in the free practice to see how the car behaved. The first few months of 1957, the team had working on this car. During those years, several teams were experimenting with streamlined bodyworks.
As said the car was only used during the free practice to test the cars. Moreover, see how their aerodynamic package was working on the track. Sadly, there isn’t that much information available of the Vanwall VW6. It is said that both Salvadori and Lewis-Evans were not happy with the VW6. It is said that both drivers were not happy with the feel of the car and how the car behaved while racing.
After the qualification the car team returned to their previous car. Eventually The VW6, without the streamliner configuration, appeared at Monza and was driven by Tony brooks.
In 2003 Vanwall Cars was formed by Arthur Wolstenholme, producing the Vanwall GPR V12, a single-seater road-legal car bearing a strong resemblance to early Vanwall racing cars, and the Sports Racer, a two-seater of a similar style.
In 2012 the trademark was acquired from Mahle Engine Systems UK by Sanderson International Marketing Ltd.
In Summer 2016 Vanwall completed and sold an official replica 1957 Vanwall and then in October 2020 Vanwall 1958 Ltd, majority owned by Iain Sanderson, announced the commissioning of Hall & Hall to build 6 original 1958 specification 'continuation cars'.
gpr v12
2005
The classic styled Vanwall GPR V12 pays homage to the 1958 Granprix car which won the championship that year. The new Vanwall GPR V12 is just that, new. The Vanwall's body is beautifully crafted from lightweight aluminium with seamless joins between all panels. The GPR V12 gets modern styling cues from the tiny projector headlights hidden by the wheels which use clever 'tread pattern' mudguards.
For power the Vanwall uses a 350bhp Jaguar sourced V12, brand new, with fuel injection. Acceleration to 100 km/h takes 4.5 seconds.
Ultimately the Vanwall GPR V12 is about the closest anyone can get to pretending to be Stirling Moss without stealing a museum piece.
1958 f1 continuation car
Vanwall will make six new continuation cars that will celebrate their F1 success, including Sir Stirling Moss’ Morocco GP win on October 19, 1958. Five of them will be offered for private sale and the sixth one will “form the core of a Vanwall Historic Racing Team”.
Each car will take “thousands of hours” to build and will be manufactured with help from restoration experts Hall and Hall in Lincolnshire, England. Power will be supplied by a 2.5-liter engine developed using the original drawings and blueprints from the 1950s, which will produce 270 horsepower. The hand-built continuation series vehicles will be priced at £1.65 million in the United Kingdom, excluding tax, or $2.13 million at current exchange rates.
ByKolles Racing, formerly known as Kodewa, is an Austrian-German auto racing team based in Greding, Germany. The team most recently fielded the No. 4 Vanwall Vandervell 680 in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2023. It was founded in 2000 by Romulus Kolles and his son Colin Kolles as Kolles Racing, but has undergone several rebrands over the years. These include a sponsorship deal with Lotus Cars from 2012 to 2014, a failed takeover of Tyrrell's naming rights, and a subsequent switch to Vanwall that went to court in 2023.
vandervell 680 le mans hypercar
2022
The Vanwall Vandervell 680 is a sports prototype racing car designed and built by Vanwall Racing Team. It is designed to the Le Mans Hypercar regulations and made its debut in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship at the season-opening 1000 Miles of Sebring.
ByKolles Racing intended to debut the car during the 2021 season, however, the project was delayed for the 2022 season. The team later acquired the rights to use the Vanwall name and the car was rebranded as a Vanwall LMH.
ByKolles uses the Gibson GL458 V8 engine, which produces around 700 hp. The car is without a hybrid system, unlike other major car manufacturers involved in LMH and LMDh.
Following the 2023 season, Vanwall struck a deal with PIPO Moteurs "at the end of October" to use their P21 twin-turbocharged V8 in the Vandervell 680 before it was excluded from the 2024 entry list due to a lack of competitiveness.
2025
Vanwall, the legendary British F1 racing team, has officially unveiled the VanderVell, a high-performance EV based on IONIQ 5 & IONIQ 5 N, thanks to a collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group.
The VanderVell lineup consists of three models, all built on Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP platform, ensuring exceptional power and efficiency:
- H-GT: The base model delivers an impressive 325 horsepower based on the IONIQ 5 AWD.
- N-GT: A higher-performance variant boasting 650 horsepower and based on the IONIQ 5 N.
- N-GT Scene Wall Special: The most advanced version, also at 650 horsepower, but significantly lighter due to a carbon fiber body, allowing it to achieve 0-100 km/h in under 3.4 seconds with a weight of less than 2000 kg.
The vehicle is equipped with an 800V high-voltage system, supporting ultra-fast charging of up to 258kW. Additionally, all models include a four-wheel-drive system, enhancing performance and stability.
Vanwall has announced that production of the VanderVell will be limited to 500 units, with pre-orders starting in January 2025. The base model starts at €128,000 (excluding VAT). While production is planned in Germany, specific facilities and timelines have yet to be confirmed.
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