He also designed the LEC CRP1 F1 car for David Purley, which competed in the 1977 Formula One season. In this machine, during practice for the 1977 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Purley was involved in one of the heaviest impacts where a driver has survived. Pilbeam has a reputation for the structural integrity of his designs and it has been considered that this was crucial to the driver's survival.