Team story
Origins
While drawing cars for John Surtees, Peter Connew began designing a single-seater of his own. He built it in a garage with Roger Doran and his cousin Barry Boor, using minimal resources. François Migault provided the funding needed to obtain the Cosworth DFV and Hewland gearbox.
In 1972 that small group managed to bring the car to practice for the British Grand Prix.
The Formula 1 journey
A suspension upright problem prevented a start at Brands Hatch. The Austrian Grand Prix was the only championship race the car actually contested: Migault qualified towards the back of the grid and had to retire when the rear suspension failed. David Purley subsequently tried the car in a non-championship race at Brands Hatch, but an electrical fault prevented him from starting.
Historical timeline
Three chapters in the story of Connew
Three episodes to revisit the people, cars and races that shaped this journey.
First appearance · Austrian Grand Prix
François Migault · Austrian Grand Prix 1972. The recorded outcome is DNF. This is the first recorded race start, or the first entry if the team never started a race.
Sporting landmark · Connew
No classified race result is documented for this part of Connew’s record. The entries and cars listed elsewhere on the page provide the available reference points; they should not be read as completed races.
Latest recorded appearance · Austrian Grand Prix
François Migault · Austrian Grand Prix 1972. The recorded outcome is DNF. This is the last race start attributed to this constructor in the archive, not necessarily the end of the organisation behind it.
A distinctive way of racing
The PC1 had an open monocoque and inboard suspension. A regulation change required a second tub to be made using different aluminium: the chassis that raced was number 002. The PC1 designation, the only model in the directory, therefore does not mean that just one tub existed.
The rear suspension remained the project's weak point.
What remains
In 1973 the car was converted to Formula 5000 and raced by Tony Trimmer, again ending in retirement. Connew kept both the car and the spare tub; many years later Boor helped him restore it. Its survival makes it possible to examine a genuine engineering effort that progressed from a draughtsman's drawings to a single championship Sunday.