Team story
Origins
Wood and aerodynamics were central to the Protos that Frank Costin designed for Ron Harris’s operation in 1967. Brian Hart also contributed to the car’s creation as a technical collaborator. It had not been conceived for 3-litre Formula 1: it used the 1,600cc Cosworth FVA specified for Formula 2.
The Formula 1 journey
The German Grand Prix also admitted single-seaters from the smaller category. Two Protos cars started at the Nürburgring, driven by Hart and Kurt Ahrens: their World Championship presence arose from that mixed race. The official result lists Hart as not classified after twelve laps, three laps behind the winner; it does not amount to a normal eligible placing in the Formula 1 class.
Historical timeline
Three chapters in the story of Protos
Three episodes to revisit the people, cars and races that shaped this journey.
First appearance · German Grand Prix
Brian Hart · German Grand Prix 1967. The recorded outcome is NC. This is the first recorded race start, or the first entry if the team never started a race.
Sporting landmark · Protos
No classified race result is documented for this part of Protos’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 · German Grand Prix
Kurt Ahrens, Jr. · German Grand Prix 1967. 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
Costin used a bonded plywood monocoque and highly streamlined bodywork, with an almost enclosing transparent screen around the cockpit. The construction followed his interest in light structures and aerodynamic efficiency. The material was not merely a decorative skin: it formed part of the car’s load-bearing structure.
What remains
The Protos remained primarily a Formula 2 experiment, also driven by racers such as Pedro Rodríguez. Its World Championship appearance did not lead to a full-time Formula 1 team. Its place in technical history is more specific: a wooden alternative to metal monocoques, raced while Hart was also developing his experience as an engine builder.