Scirocco

Origins

Scirocco was the British Formula 1 marque constructed by Hugh Powell and Tony Settember in 1963 as a successor to the earlier Emeryson chassis. The team was based at Maidenhead, England, and built its single F1 model — the SP — around a BRM V8 engine.

Golden Era

There was no golden era. Scirocco entered five Grand Prix rounds in 1963 and one in 1964, with Tony Settember and André Pilette driving. No points were scored; best finish was Settember's eighth place at the 1963 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring.

Legendary Cars

The SP of 1963 was the only Scirocco F1 chassis. It was a competent enough spaceframe design but underpowered against the works Lotus and Ferrari cars and lacking the development resources to evolve.

Lows and Reinventions

The team withdrew at the end of 1964 having scored no World Championship points. Hugh Powell moved on to other automotive projects; the Scirocco workshop closed and the chassis dispersed to private collections.

Modern Era

Scirocco is a footnote in the British constructor cottage industry of the early 1960s — one of many small operations that put their own designs onto F1 grids hoping for results that never materialised. The single SP chassis appears occasionally at historic meetings as a curiosity from the era.