Britain’s first Formula One team, British Racing Motors (BRM) will commemorate its 75th anniversary with a formal celebration at this year’s Oulton Park Gold Cup (25-27 July). An exciting collection of historic BRM Formula One cars from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s will form a key part of the weekend with demonstrations, displays and guest appearances across the three days.
Festivities will centre around a special display paddock for the racing cars, with many taking to the circuit on the Saturday for a commemorative demonstration run. Further specifics of the celebrations to mark the 75th Anniversary of the World Championship winning manufacturer will be detailed in the coming months.
BRM’s involvement at the Gold Cup will be spearheaded by various members of the Owen Family, all direct descendants of Team Principal and owner Sir Alfred Owen, who are custodians of this quintessentially British Marque. Over the past 5 years, the Owen family have been busy Reawakening the Brand which includes building another BRM V16 Mark I with Hall and Hall, the revered historic racing car specialists.
This year’s Gold Cup will celebrate BRM’s successes in period, with BRM winning 17 World Championship races and the Constructors and Drivers Title in 1962. This was the realisation of a vision to show case British Innovation and Engineering by winning the World Title with an all-British car, designed and built in Britain and driven by a British driver.
Established in 1949 to an inauspicious start, BRM won their first Grand Prix with Jo Bonnier at the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix and continued to compete at the highest level until 1974 – even to this day, not many teams can claim a Grand Prix podium finish for 15 successive Seasons.
Sir Jackie Stewart, Pedro Rodriguez, Jo Siffert and Peter Gethin were amongst the other drivers to win for the manufacturer, prior to Jean-Pierre Beltoise claiming its final victory at the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix. Other notable BRM drivers of the ‘60s and ‘70s included Niki Lauda, Richard Attwood, Howden Ganley, Mike Spence and Jackie Oliver.
Whilst Oulton Park never hosted a Grand Prix, it was a frequent stop on the F1 calendar during BRM’s halcyon days, hosting the non-championship Gold Cup regularly. And whilst BRM machinery didn’t claim outright glory at the Gold Cup during its heyday, it did achieve victory in the 1971 International Trophy at the circuit, courtesy of Rodriguez at the wheel of a BRM P160.
Today, the BRM name continues to play a role in the Gold Cup with appearances from its stunning 1960s race cars with the Historic Grand Prix Car Association (HGPCA), which will once again grace the fixture this summer. They will join an exciting line-up of content from the Historic Sports Car Club and other special guest race organisers as part of an eclectic weekend of automotive nostalgia.
Other highlights of the circuit’s signature retro celebration will include the 10th anniversary of the Cheshire Concours, extended classic road car displays, and additional retro off-track entertainment.
Jonathan Palmer, MSV Chief Executive, said: “BRM is an iconic name in the history of British motor racing, and I’m delighted that the 2025 Oulton Park Gold Cup has been chosen to celebrate its 75th anniversary, when a display of the team’s classic Formula One machinery will form a fantastic centrepiece at the event. John, Nick, Paul & Simon Owen have done a superb job to re-establish BRMs presence and in particular recreate the 1950 BRM Type 15, with its phenomenal 600bhp 1.5 litre supercharged V16 engine. There’s no way I’m going to miss the event and the unique chance to hear the magnificent V16 howling its way around Oulton Park! I’m also really looking forward to chatting to some of the motor racing legends there who raced BRMs during their career, who will also be attending.”
Paul Owen, BRM Director, said: “We are thrilled to be working with MSV and Oulton Park for this celebration – having spent the last 5 years “Re-Awakening” the BRM Marque, it is exciting to be planning some very special celebrations to honour BRM’s 75th Anniversary – As a family, we strongly believe that we hold BRM in trust for the Nation and all those that made it happen in period. To be able to bring together some very special cars and celebrate with fans, owners, drivers and the BRM family at a venue that has some great links with BRM will be a fabulous weekend. I have watched the video of Sir Jackie Stewart ‘demonstrating’ a V16 to the max on standing starts all around the circuit in 1967 ‘– apparently, he got back to the pits and the mechanics told him he was only meant to do a gentle one lap demo!”
