Tony Rudd - BRM's Chief Engineer

Tony, on the left, is seen here talking to Graham Hill who became World Champion in 1962 driving for Bourne’s BRM Team. (Photo by Peter Putterill)

 

Tony Rudd joined BRM in 1951 as Rolls Royce’s man to look after their interest in the development of the V16 engine. Rolls Royce designed a centrifugal supercharger for this engine, similar to that fitted to their Merlin Aero Engine. After his Rolls Royce training Tony Rudd found things at BRM much less organised than he was accustomed at Rolls Royce. BRM, on their part, were very suspicious of him as an “outsider”.

Later Tony drifted from employment with Rolls Royce into a job with BRM. He took over the development of BRIVI’s troublesome V16 engine and made it more reliable. Eventually he saw it producing just over 600bhp. Indeed it remained the most powerful engine for its size until the then arrival of the turbo-charged El engines in the ‘seventies.

In 1961 Sir Alfred Owen made Tony Rudd BRM’s Chief Engineer. Sir Alfred had decided that unless the team became more successful in 1962 would be its last year. He set Tony a target of two Grand Prix victories. He did better, as the BRM Team became the World Champions in 1962. He left BRM in 1969 and worked at Lotus until his retirement.

If you would like to know more information, visit the Raymond Mays room at Bourne's Baldocks Mill
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The BRM Celebration Day Committee would like to thank the Bourne Civic Society for allowing us to publish this series of articles. 

Baldocks Mill, which is run by the Bourne Civic Society, will be open on the day, where visitors can look at their BRM trophy cabinet, along with other items of BRM memorabilia. For more information, visit the Bourne Civic Society website.


A new article will be added every week, so please keep checking back for more information about BRM. 

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