# Connaught Engineering

Connaught Engineering, often referred to simply as Connaught, was a Formula One, Formula Two and other sports car divisions constructor from the United Kingdom. Their cars participated in 18 Grands Prix, entering a total of 52 races with their A, B, and C Type Formula 2 and Formula 1 Grand Prix Cars. They achieved 1 podium and scored 17 championship points. The name Connaught is a pun on Continental Autos, the garage in Send, Surrey, which specialised in sales and repair of European sports cars such as Bugatti, and where the cars were built.

## History

In 1950, the first single-seaters, the Formula 2 "A" types, used an engine that was developed by Connaught from the Lea-Francis engine used in their "L" type sports cars. The engine was extensively re-engineered and therefore is truly a Connaught engine. The cars were of conventional construction for the time with drive through a preselector gearbox to a de Dion rear axle. In 1952 and 1953, the Grand Prix races counting towards the World Championship were to Formula 2 rules so drivers of these cars could take part in those events as the table below shows.
Connaught designed a new car for the 2½ litre Formula 1 of 1954 which was to have a rear-mounted Coventry Climax V8 engine (the "Godiva"), but when the engine was not proceeded with, a conventionally arranged "B" type was designed using an Alta engine developed into 2½ litre form. The first cars were built with all-enveloping aerodynamic bodywork but later rebodied conventionally (as the photos below show). In 1955, driving a Connaught in this form, Tony Brooks scored the first win in a Grand Prix by a British driver in a British car since 1923, in a non World Championship race at Syracuse. Thereafter the "B" type has been known as the "Syracuse" Connaught and the name was used for the car presented in the 2004 revival.
In 1962, Jack Fairman attempted to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in a Connaught race car, but failed to find the necessary speed to make the field.

## Sports cars

Prior to the single-seat racing cars they built a small number of road going sports cars developed on the Lea-Francis Sports Chassis, which achieved considerable competition success. These were of types L2 and L3, and three examples of the stark Cycle Winged L3/SR Sports Racer. Two sports cars, based on the A Type Formula 2 cars, the ALSRs were also built for competition work.
In 2004, the Connaught name was revived by Connaught Motor Company for their Type D Syracuse and Type D-H hybrid sports cars.
* An ex-Rob Walker Racing Team Connaught Type B Formula One car
* Connaught Type B, 1955, at the National Motor Museum
* A Connaught Type D Syracuse

## Complete Drivers' World Championship results

(key)
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Driver | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | WCC | Points |
| 1952 | | | | | SUI | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | NED | ITA | | | | -* | -* |
| 1952 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Ken Downing | Ken Downing | | | | | | | Ret | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1952 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Ken Downing | Connaught Engineering | | | | | 9 | | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1952 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Eric Thompson | Connaught Engineering | | | | | 5 | | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1952 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Kenneth McAlpine | Connaught Engineering | | | | | 16 | | | Ret | | | | -* | -* |
| 1952 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Stirling Moss | Connaught Engineering | | | | | | | | Ret | | | | -* | -* |
| 1952 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Dennis Poore | Connaught Engineering | | | | | 4 | | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1952 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Dennis Poore | Connaught Racing Syndicate | | | | | | | | 12 | | | | -* | -* |
| 1953 | | | | | ARG | 500 | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | | | -* | -* |
| 1953 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Kenneth McAlpine | Connaught Engineering | | | Ret | | | Ret | 13 | | NC | | | -* | -* |
| 1953 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Stirling Moss | Connaught Engineering | | | 9 | | | | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1953 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Roy Salvadori | Connaught Engineering | | | Ret | | Ret | Ret | Ret | | Ret | | | -* | -* |
| 1953 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Prince Bira | Connaught Engineering | | | | | Ret | 7 | Ret | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1953 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Jack Fairman | Connaught Engineering | | | | | | | | | NC | | | -* | -* |
| 1953 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Johnny Claes | Ecurie Belge | | | Ret | | 12 | | Ret | | Ret | | | -* | -* |
| 1953 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | André Pilette | Ecurie Belge | | | | NC | | | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1953 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Ian Stewart | Ecurie Ecosse | | | | | | Ret | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1953 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Tony Rolt | Rob Walker Racing Team | | | | | | Ret | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1954 | | | | | ARG | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | ESP | | | -* | -* |
| 1954 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Leslie Marr | Leslie Marr | | | | | 13 | | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1954 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Bill Whitehouse | Bill Whitehouse | | | | | Ret | | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1954 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Don Beauman | Sir Jeremy Boles | | | | | 11 | | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1954 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | Leslie Thorne | Ecurie Ecosse | | | | | 14 | | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1954 | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis Straight-4 | John Riseley-Prichard | Rob Walker Racing Team | | | | | Ret | | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1955 | | | | | ARG | MON | 500 | BEL | NED | GBR | ITA | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1955 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Kenneth McAlpine | Connaught Engineering | | | | | | Ret | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1955 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Jack Fairman | Connaught Engineering | | | | | | DNS | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1955 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Tony Rolt | Connaught Engineering | | | | | | Ret$^±$ | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1955 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Peter Walker | Connaught Engineering | | | | | | Ret$^±$ | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1955 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Leslie Marr | Leslie Marr | | | | | | Ret | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1956 | | | | | ARG | MON | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | | | | -* | -* |
| 1956 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Archie Scott Brown | Connaught Engineering | | | | | | Ret | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1956 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Desmond Titterington | Connaught Engineering | | | | | | Ret | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1956 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Jack Fairman | Connaught Engineering | | | | | | 4 | | 5 | | | | -* | -* |
| 1956 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Ron Flockhart | Connaught Engineering | | | | | | | | 3 | | | | -* | -* |
| 1956 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Les Leston | Connaught Engineering | | | | | | | | Ret | | | | -* | -* |
| 1956 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Piero Scotti | Piero Scotti | | | | Ret | | | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1957 | | | | | ARG | MON | 500 | FRA | GBR | GER | PSC | ITA | | | | -* | -* |
| 1957 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Stuart Lewis-Evans | Connaught Engineering | | 4 | | | | | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1957 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Ivor Bueb | Connaught Engineering | | Ret | | | | | | | | | | -* | -* |
| 1958 | | | | | ARG | MON | NED | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | POR | ITA | MOR | NC | 0 |
| 1958 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Ivor Bueb | Bernie Ecclestone | | | | | | | Ret | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1958 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Bruce Kessler | Bernie Ecclestone | | DNQ | | | | | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1958 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Paul Emery | Bernie Ecclestone | | DNQ | | | | | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1958 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Jack Fairman | Bernie Ecclestone | | | | | | | Ret | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1958 | Connaught Type B | Alta Straight-4 | Bernie Ecclestone | Bernie Ecclestone | | DNQ | | | | | DNP | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1959 | | | | | MON | 500 | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | POR | ITA | USA | | | NC | 0 |
| 1959 | Connaught Type C | Alta Straight-4 | Bob Said | Connaught Cars / Paul Emery | | | | | | | | | Ret | | | NC | 0 |
*Constructors points not awarded until 1958 ± = Indicates a shared drive