Connaught Engineering

Connaught Engineering, or Connaught Cars Limited. was a British manufacturer of automobiles and racing cars, which was established in Send ( Surrey ).

Sport car

1948 continenal Cars started with the production of street-legal sports cars for privateers. The vehicle was based on the Lea - Francis 14hp Sports, the body was designed by Rodney Clarke. The first vehicle was in October 1948 completed, two more in the spring of 1949 The Roadster Connaught L2 had a four-cylinder in-line engine with 1767 cc capacity, the -. Equipped with twin SU carburettors - 98 bhp (72 kW) at 5,500 min-1 made ​​. On request, there was also a four- carburetor version (103 kW ) yielded up to 140 bhp. The suspension consisted of leaf-sprung rigid axles, the wheelbase was 2514 mm.

1953 Connaught L3 was also offered with a modified front suspension and torsion bar suspension.

1954, the construction of road-going sports car was set.

Racing car

1950 Formula 2 car was built with the Kenneth McAlpine began mainly in smaller British race. In 1952 and 1953, when the formula was 1 discharged with the previous Formula 2 rules, one rose on the continent to racing. At the Grand Prix of Great Britain 1952 Dennis Poore and Eric Thompson reached on a Type A positions four and five. As the Formula 1 season in 1953 was less than satisfactory, concentrated on the construction of a successor model and a sports car, which was but little success.

The B- type appeared in late 1954, but was initially susceptible to defects, so that the successes einstellten only in the course of the 1955 season: Winning the not for the World Cup scoring Grand Prix of Syracuse in October scoring Tony Brooks at all the first success of a British brand outside the UK after 31 years (Henry Segrave Sunbeam on the Grand Prix of San Sebastian 1924). In the following season, Ron Flockhart third in the Italian Grand Prix in 1956 and Jack Fairman was reached in the same year a fourth and a fifth.

1957 was similarly successful, Stuart Lewis -Evans finished fourth in Monaco and in a non- World Cup scoring race at Goodwood he was even able to celebrate a victory for the team.

At this time, however, the team ran out of money, the company and the recently completed C- type were sold. The Briton Bernie Ecclestone took over the team, managed it and also tried his hand as a driver. Ecclestone, however, failed to qualify for the Grand Prix of Monaco. The last start had the car at the Grand Prix of USA 1959.