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There have been a few attempts over the years to bring back great names that have disappeared from the sport. The most obvious example of this has been Team Lotus. Some believe that if a team dies, it should be left dead and that trying to revive legendary names is not such a good idea. I’m not sure about that but I know that there are some brands that have a magic about them that the sport can use. It is quite difficult to explain why Ferrari means so much to so many people, but one feels a little the same with Bugatti in France, or with Aston Martin and Jaguar in the UK. They are just sexy brands and sexy brands help drive the sport forwards. I guess I would call it brand magic because I don’t know how else to explain it. When I started watching the sport, back in the 1970s, Brabham was a big name. So were Ferrari, Lotus, Williams, McLaren and Ligier. Things change. Mercedes did not compete in those days because it was felt that motorsport was bad because it would revive the bad memories of Le Mans 1955. Red Bull was only a concept in the head of a Blendax toothpaste salesman. Today, Ferrari, Williams and McLaren survive. Lotus, Brabham and Ligier have faded from F1. Is it a good idea to revive the brand? Why not? If there is value to be had from a brand and someone with the motivation to get it done, then I see no harm in the idea. Brabham, which was sold to Bernie Ecclestone back in 1972. He sold it in 1988 and attempts to revive it died out in 1992. In 2009 there was a flutter of reporting when Franz Hilmer used the Brabham name to lodge an entry for the 2010 World Championship. The Brabham family were not involved and began legal action afterwards to obtain legal recognition of their exclusive right to use the brand. This was achieved in 2013 and since 2014 David Brabham has been working on something called Project Brabham, to take the name back into racing and to one day get back to F1. David is Sir Jack’s youngest son and enjoyed a pretty impressive career outside F1. He did race F1 cars but never had a competitive opportunity. Later he would win Bathurst and the Le Mans 24 Hours and two American Le Mans Series titles. Now his goal is to rebuild the Brabham brand.
The current stories relate to a project that ought to have legs. The idea is to follow the business model of McLaren and create a super car company, advertised by a Formula 1 team. It is a long-term plan and needs to be funded, but if there is money found and the right people run it, then it has to be possible. The only way to find out is to try it.
There have been a few attempts over the years to bring back great names that have disappeared from the sport. The most obvious example of this has been Team Lotus. Some believe that if a team dies, it should be left dead and that trying to revive legendary names is not such a good idea. I’m not sure about that but I know that there are some brands that have a magic about them that the sport can use. It is quite difficult to explain why Ferrari means so much to so many people, but one feels a little the same with Bugatti in France, or with Aston Martin and Jaguar in the UK. They are just sexy brands and sexy brands help drive the sport forwards. I guess I would call it brand magic because I don’t know how else to explain it. When I started watching the sport, back in the 1970s, Brabham was a big name. So were Ferrari, Lotus, Williams, McLaren and Ligier. Things change. Mercedes did not compete in those days because it was felt that motorsport was bad because it would revive the bad memories of Le Mans 1955. Red Bull was only a concept in the head of a Blendax toothpaste salesman. Today, Ferrari, Williams and McLaren survive. Lotus, Brabham and Ligier have faded from F1. Is it a good idea to revive the brand? Why not? If there is value to be had from a brand and someone with the motivation to get it done, then I see no harm in the idea. Brabham, which was sold to Bernie Ecclestone back in 1972. He sold it in 1988 and attempts to revive it died out in 1992. In 2009 there was a flutter of reporting when Franz Hilmer used the Brabham name to lodge an entry for the 2010 World Championship. The Brabham family were not involved and began legal action afterwards to obtain legal recognition of their exclusive right to use the brand. This was achieved in 2013 and since 2014 David Brabham has been working on something called Project Brabham, to take the name back into racing and to one day get back to F1. David is Sir Jack’s youngest son and enjoyed a pretty impressive career outside F1. He did race F1 cars but never had a competitive opportunity. Later he would win Bathurst and the Le Mans 24 Hours and two American Le Mans Series titles. Now his goal is to rebuild the Brabham brand.
The current stories relate to a project that ought to have legs. The idea is to follow the business model of McLaren and create a super car company, advertised by a Formula 1 team. It is a long-term plan and needs to be funded, but if there is money found and the right people run it, then it has to be possible. The only way to find out is to try it.
