Formcar - Formula V - like a bathtub on wheels and with the roadholding of a cow

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Formcar - Formula V - like a bathtub on wheels and with the roadholding of a cow

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Created on July 9, 2017

Text:

Rainer Braun (ergänzt von Bruno von Rotz)

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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H.P. Seufert - Archiv Rainer Braun

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Porsche Archiv - Archiv Rainer Braun

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Bruno von Rotz

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Hist. Formel V Europa - Archiv Rainer Braun

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Archiv Peter Dätwyler

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Historische Formel V Europa - Archiv Rainer Braun

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Archiv Rainer Braun - Archiv Rainer Braun

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Archiv

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - completely original monoposto from the sixties

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - how racing careers began back then

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - Unloading from the VW bus

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - Warm-up at the airport

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - a monoposto with Beetle technology

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - it's easy to get started

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - you have to be careful where you step, after all, everything is built relatively delicately

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - one leg in, the other pulled in and then let it slide down

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - you sit deep in the Formula V

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the low center of gravity and the low weight create a completely different driving behavior than the Beetle

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - there is hardly any lateral inclination

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - pulling hard on the big steering wheel

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - even power oversteer is possible

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - four exhaust pipes - one for each cylinder

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the engine is not hidden from anyone

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - narrow tires limit grip

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the speed advantage was due to the small cross-sectional area

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - over 150 km/h fast at the time

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the suspensions were taken from the Beetle

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the straight is not its preferred territory

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - incredibly fun to drive

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - negative camber on the rear axle

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - just under 40 hp was enough for fast lap times

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the competition soon created much more aerodynamic shapes

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the front wheels are always in view

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - faster than an airplane on the ground

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the 380 kg Formula V is transported on the VW flatbed

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - dismantled panels

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - a tubular frame and plastic cladding

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - without rear fairing

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the undisguised Formula V from the front

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - recharging after work is done

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - filigree tubular frame and thin floor

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - View into the cockpit

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - large steering wheel, fuel tank next to the driver

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - three main instruments and a warning light

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - fully instrumented - engine speed, oil temperature and pressure

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the pedals from the Beetle

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - upright pedals

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - Gear lever with reverse lock

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - Instrument by Westach

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - Rear-view mirror left and right

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - a special company was founded to build the formula car

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the Volkswagen suspension design with crank arms

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - close relative - both vehicles have the air-cooled four-cylinder boxer engine

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - Starting procedure

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - Front suspension

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - View of the four-cylinder boxer engine from the Beetle

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the gearbox is at the very back, i.e. mounted upside down compared to the Beetle

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the gearbox is right at the back

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the shift linkage leads all the way to the rear

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - ended up as an exhibition vehicle

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - in rank and file - Porsche Formula V armada in the Norisring paddock in 1965

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - celebrity chauffeur - Porsche sports boss Huschke von Hanstein tests personally

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - Racing premiere in FormCar - Norisring speaker Braun with jacket and too big helmet 1965

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - second victory on the mountain - FormCar driver Braun at the 1965 Bad Neuenahr Mountain Prize

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - beautiful and slim is different - FormCar anno 1965

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Congratulations from Porsche - Evi Butz, the current wife of Dan Gurney, also signed with red pencil

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - the first victory in Mainz-Finthen - Rainer Braun in the FormCar in front of the pursuing BeachCar crowd

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Beachcar Formula V (1965) - Carpooling service - Formula V driver Stommelen with piggyback guest Braun at the 1965 Eifel Cup race

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The Formula Vee boys in Wunstorf in 1965 - Stommelen, Schimpf, Seligmann, Bohnhorst, Wütherich, Braun with girlfriend (from left). Gerhard Härle with hat

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VW Formula V (1965) - Shortly after the start of the Formula V at the 1965 Solitude Race - none of the competitors dropped out

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - Generous FormCar cockpit - lots of space, little comfort

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - spartan equipment - steering wheel, three instruments, starter button

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Formcar Formula V (1965) - at the Altbüron hill climb in 2013

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Formcar V (1965) - in field 4 (formula racing cars) at the Altbüron hill climb in 2015

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Formcar (1964) - on the occasion of the retrospective "50 years of Formula Vee" at the Norisring 2015

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Formcar (1964) - on the occasion of the retrospective "50 years of Formula Vee" at the Norisring 2015

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Summary

"The box looks like a bathtub on wheels and lies like a cow," said people at the time when the first formcars arrived in Europe from the USA in 1965. But the entry-level racing series with the Beetle-based formula cars was a success and produced many great racing drivers. In this article, Rainer Braun, who himself raced successfully in Formula Vee, looks back on the early days with text and pictures in cheerful reminiscences. An early formcar, which has survived in its original condition, illustrates this exciting episode in motor racing. And, of course, the sound of the engine is not missing.

This article contains the following chapters

The memorable Norisring premiere
The first victory in a FormCar
Key experience Nürburgring-Südschleife
There is absolutely nothing to regret
Part 2 - The Beetle technology in the Monoposto
From the USA to Europe
A form car without racing
Technical data

Estimated reading time: 15min

Preview (beginning of the article)

At the beginning of the Formula Vee movement in Europe was the clunky US design "FormCar", about which Porsche works driver Gerhard Mitter, after demo drives at the Eberbach and Rossfeld hillclimb races in 1965, commented with a disparaging grin in his sarcastic and sarcastic manner: "The car looks like a bathtub on wheels, barely gets off the ground and handles like a cow." The enthusiasm of the other conscripted Porsche PS stars was also limited during the first drive. What could you expect from a standard 34 hp VW engine with a displacement of 1.2 liters - and uphill at that. The demonstration drives with the popular Porsche works drivers were intended to whet the appetite for a new, inexpensive entry-level class for the junior formula based on the VW Beetle 1300.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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