Brabham-Alfaromeo BT-45B - 1977

The Brabham BT45 was a Formula 1 car designed by engineer South African Gordon Murray for the season 1976. The car is the first Brabham to take the engine type 115.12 flat 12-cylinder Alfa Romeo 500 hp with 340 Nm of torque . The latter was run by a Hewland six-speed transmission. It keeps the front air intakes of the previous Brabham, but by regulation no longer has the air-scope behind the cockpit and has side panels with larger air intakes to feed the engine and more radiant surfaces. The frame was of the type aluminum monocoque, while the braking system was constituted by ventilated disc brakes produced by Girling. The front suspension consisted of double wishbones with configuration pull-rod, coil springs and stabilizer bar, while the rear were exploited coil springs and stabilizer bars. For the 1978 season, pending the development of BT46, it was made the C version of the BT45. This model was equipped with a radiator revised from the original car. He made his debut at the Grand Prix of Brazil headed by Carlos Pace and Carlos Reutemann and suffers from the very beginning, the lack of reliability of the engine, so that in this first season the BT45 will get only 3/4 places in the race. 1977 begins better: Pace finished second the first Grand Prix and leading for 13 laps in South Africa at the first exit of BT45B, but the pilot is lost soon after a plane crash. The other driver John Watson, get the pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix but, being with the rear wheels on the pedestrian crossing the street circuit, will skate at the start by being overcome by Wolf's Jody Scheckter and after covering more than half you must pick up in second position with gearbox problems. Watson comes second in France, then the replacement of the Peace, Hans Joachim Stuck, will get two podiums in Germany and Austria. The BT45C play two races in 1978, in which Niki Lauda will take two podiums, waiting dell'approntamento the Brabham BT46.