In 1998 we were called upon to create a set of parameters from which a computer game could be written based on motor racing at Brooklands in the period between the two world wars. The game, 'Spirit of Speed' by Hasbro, has since become available in the shops and we have decided that now is the time to release the details of the project for our many readers around the globe who we know are interested in the details of early motor racing at Brooklands. These heavy cars were at their best on the Brooklands Outer Circuit which had no severe corners requiring sudden direction changes and no requirement for violent braking. A heavy car requires a lot of power to accelerate, significant force to effect direction changes and by virtue of its high momentum a lot of energy has to be dissipated to slow it down and make it stop.
War greatly accelerates the rate at which technology advances.
Consequently the resulting improvements in metallurgy eventually yielded stronger lighter metals which led to a different type of car as the twenties progressed. After any war however, there is always a good supply of cheap government surplus materials and in particular the post 1918 period saw an abundance of surplus large capacity, high performance aircraft engines. When fitted to an old Mercedes or Fiat chassis these engines enabled relatively low cost high powered, but ponderous racing cars to be built. The best known of these is probably Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The large engine principle was extended into the early thirties by Walter Bentley but foundered with the onset of the Depression signalling the end of the era of the big bangers.