Masters Historic is a certified FIA championship contested entirely by the open-wheel, three-liter Formula 1 machines of the “golden era,” or 1966 to 1985. The series runs events all over the world, but it also served as a support event for the 2023 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. I spent Saturday morning prowling through the Masters Historic paddock and soaking in all of those sweet vintage vibes — which absolutely means I’d have to share them all with you.
The Ralt RT4 was used for regional Formula series, like Formula Atlantic, Formula Mondial, and Australian F1.
Designed by Frank Dernie, the Williams FW08 debuted at the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix and ran through the 1983 season; it’s the type of car that Keke Rosberg drove to a World Drivers’ Championship in ’82.
The first modern open-wheel car designed by Ralt, the RT1 competed in both open-wheel and sports car series, including Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula Atlantic, and Can-Am.
When it became clear that the ultra-successful M23 was ready to retire, McLaren whipped up the M26, which made its first race debut in 1976 but didn’t really hit the track until 1977. That season, James Hunt won two races behind its wheel: the British Grand Prix and the U.S. Grand Prix.
The cockpit of the Williams FW08; it’s narrow, with just a few controls to consider.
The March 741 was designed and built by March for the 1975 F1 season. You can see the signature of one of its drivers, Hans-Joachim Stuck, in the cockpit.
As was the case with many cars of the era, the March 741 was powered by a three-liter Ford-Cosworth DFV engine.
The Ralt RT1 was a big success in regional Formula series, winning the Swedish, German, Italian, and British Formula 3 championships.
The Ralt RT4 was used for regional Formula series, like Formula Atlantic, Formula Mondial, and Australian F1. The No. 47 was driven by Edward Copley.
LEC participated in just 10 Grands Prix; this model was raced in a handful of events during the 1977 Formula 1 season. David Purley struggled to compete with it, and it was in this car that he suffered serious injuries during pre-qualifying for the British Grand Prix. It’s estimated that he survived a 179.8 g crash when he decelerated from 108 mph to 0 over the space of 26 inches.
The March 761 was designed by Robin Herd of March Engineering and was raced by Ronnie Peterson. The Swedish driver had been disillusioned by the uncompetitive Lotus he had driven the year prior, so he returned to the small British March team for 1976. Fast but fragile, the 761 was contested by multiple different customer teams, and it won just a single race: the 1976 Italian Grand Prix.
Ralt also designed its RT5 to compete in Formula Super Vee.
The top bodywork of the Williams lifts entirely off to allow mechanics to work on the engine.
And there’s that engine.
The Ralt RT4 was used for regional Formula series, like Formula Atlantic, Formula Mondial, and Australian F1. This vehicle is the one driven by Geoff Brabham.
Used by the Shadow team for the 1975 Formula 1 season, the DN5 proved to be fairly quick, but it struggled with reliability. A best finish of third place under the hands of Tom Pryce was all it was destined to secure.
The March 77B was designed to compete in junior series like Formula Atlantic.
The Tyrrell 009 was designed by Maurice Philippe for the 1979 Formula 1 season; this example was driven by Didier Pironi; its best finish in his hands was a third place in both Belgium and the USA.