1961 Ferguson P99 Climax - Images, Specifications and Information

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All wheel drive systems had become a popular option for vehicles venturing out into rough terrain when at the end of the 1950s Harry Ferguson felt that his new system was so efficient that it could also be used on racing tracks. There had been similar attempts in the past, but the system proved difficult to implement and the additional drivetrain often soaked up a lot of the engine's performance. To prove his point he did not just join a local racing series, but he immediately went all out by having a Formula 1 car designed. He did so at a time when the sport was going through some fundamental changes and it was very difficult for a new team to keep.

Harry Ferguson was determined to make it a success and hired former Jaguar and Aston Martin employees as technical directors. When the project started, Cooper was still in the process of convincing the rest of the world that the mid-engined layout was really a step forward. Ferguson's engineers must have figured that the four wheel drive system would eliminate most of the new layout's advantages and that a 50:50 weight balance was going to be key, so they chose for a conventional front engined layout. There was nothing extraordinary about the tubular spaceframe chassis drafted up either. To compensate for the additional weight of the more complex drivetrain, many of the non-load bearing parts were made from very lightweight exotic materials.

As the project was nearing completion the announcement of changing the maximum displacement from 2.5 to 1.5 litre was a major disappointment. All of a sudden efficiency was even more important and the future of the project looked dim. It also did not help that the British manufacturers were reluctant to accept or just ignored these rule changes, so there was no suitable engine available for the 1961 season. As a stop-gap the British teams were forced to use a modified version of the old four cylinder Climax engine, whereas Ferrari was miles ahead with their powerful V6 engines. Ferguson carried on and the car was completed in time for the British Grand Prix at Aintree.

In the months building up to the introduction, Ferguson's PR machine had done a very good job and the Ferguson P99 was prominently featured in many automotive magazines. Of course the main point of interest was the four wheel drive system. It consisted of a transferbox bolted directly to the five speed gearbox. The engine was installed at an angle to make room for the driveshaft to the front differential. The rear driveshaft was installed on the left side of the chassis and the driving position was slightly off-centre to the right. Similar to the weight balance, the torque was virtually evenly divided between the front and rear wheels. Thanks to very smart packaging the completed car was very low and looked quite the part.

For the British Grand Prix the car was handed to Rob Walker, who entered it livered in his familiar colours for Jack Fairman. He struggled with the car, even though the wet conditions were in its favour, throughout the race and was eventually relieved from his duties by Stirling Moss. In Moss' hands the Ferguson started to show its real class as the talented British racer piloted it up the leaderbord. Unfortunately the car was disqualified for receiving a push-start earlier in the race. Impressed by the P99, Moss spent a lot of time that summer adopting a new driving style, better suited to the four wheel drive car. He showcased the car's true potential at the non-Championship race at Oulton Park, where he scored a victory in damp conditions.

After that Grand Prix win, the car was modified for Tasman and Indy racing, but never proved to be as successful as it had been in Moss' hands. A few years later it was quite successfully used in hillclimb racing in Great Britain, where the four wheel drive system put it at a real advantage. Since then the very last front-engined Grand Prix car has been restored to its original Formula 1 condition and has been driven again by Stirling Moss on several occasions. Four wheel drive would never prove to be the winning formula in Grand Prix racing, but it has become the norm in top level rallying and has also proven to be quite successful in touring cars.

The unique racing car is seen here in action at the 2006 Monaco Historic Grand Prix and Goodwood Revival in the hands of Sir Stirling Moss and Barrie Williams respectively. At Monaco a driveshaft failure brought a premature end to the weekend for Moss. A few months later at Goodwood, Moss took the car out in training, but felt he could not do the car justice so he handed the car over to Barrie Williams. Under damp conditions, he proved Ferguson's point once more by climbing up the leaderbord in his spectacular fashion.