The Ferguson P99 4-wheel drive race car, driven by Stirling to victory at the 1961 Oulton Park Gold Cup, can trace its roots back to the 1930’s when Freddie Dixon was considering constructing an all-wheel drive car for a bid on the Land Speed Record. Dixon had been successful on motorbikes before moving into building the “specials” which were commonplace in car racing prior to WWII.

He never did raise the finance to pursue his record breaking attempt however his search did bring him into contact with Harry Ferguson – founder of the tractor manufacturer of the same name – and a talented young racer called Tony Rolt who would go on to win Le Mans in 1953.

Their grand plans were put on hold by the war during which Rolt found himself imprisoned in Colditz. After the hostilities ended Ferguson used funds awarded to him following a lawsuit with Ford to set up Harry Ferguson Research where he employed Dixon and Rolt, among others, to develop four-wheel-drive for road cars. A number of prototypes were constructed but due to the austerity of the 1950's the major motor manufacturers were reluctant to take such a technological risk.

During 1960 Ferguson decided to build a Grand Prix car to display the potential of the drive train. They hired Claude Hill from Aston Martin to design a space-frame chassis. The FIA introduced a reduction in Formula 1 engine sizes for the following season from 2.5 to 1.5 litres. In response, the InterContinental series was established to cater for the larger engined cars. Therefore the P99 was designed to accommodate both sizes of power unit. These were to be supplied by Climax.

It can be assumed that the smaller, lighter engines which became mandatory in the World Championship would have made the additional weight of the four-wheel-drive system less attractive as such a transmission was not seen again in Formula 1 until the late 1960's.

By then the regulations had been changed again to permit 3 litre engines and the magnificent Ford Cosworth DFV had become the motive power of most Grand Prix outfits. The performance of the DFV overwhelmed the chassis’ of the time and a number of teams experimented with the Ferguson system, including BRM, but soon alternative methods of obtaining the required road-holding improvements were found from aerodynamic and tyre developments. These were less complex to implement.

Although Formula 1 moved away from the Ferguson transmission for good at the beginning of the 1970's it had finally appeared on a road car in 1966 when it became a key feature of the Jensen FF. Another aspect of this exclusive coupe which had not previously been available to the public were the Dunlop Maxaret anti-lock brakes.

These had also been fitted to the Ferguson P99 although Stirling remembers “I did not use the system as I preferred to have complete control over the braking rather than let the mechanical device take-over.”

The P99 made its debut at the 1961 British Empire Trophy which was staged in July at Silverstone. It had been handed to the Rob Walker Racing Team – and their ace mechanic Alf Francis – to oversee its competition career. Development driver Jack Fairman drove the car but mechanical problems meant that this radical race car had an inauspicious debut.

The next outing was at the British Grand Prix at Aintree. Walker entered the Ferguson for Fairman and a Lotus 18 for Moss. When the Lotus retired, Fairman was called in to hand over his mount to Stirling. In the wet conditions Stirling was able to see the potential of the P99 however due to a minor technical infringement he was black-flagged.

Success for the P99 finally came at the 1961 Oulton Park Gold Cup, with Stirling once again at the wheel, the only time a 4-wheel drive racing car has ever won a Formula 1 race. With drizzle coming down and a damp track, Stirling used the cars 4-wheel drive system to maximum effect winning the race by 46 seconds from Jack Brabham.

The next appearance for the Ferguson was at a couple of races in Australia with Graham Hill in early 1963. Later that year it was tested successfully at Indianapolis and Ferguson built a sister car – the P104 – which was raced by Bobby Unser over the following two seasons. 

The P99 went on to enjoy a very successful hill climbing career. Having made its debut in this discipline at Ollon-Villars in the hands of Jo Bonnier, Peter Westbury then went on to dominate the British Hiil Climb Championship in 1964, using the P99.

Having been on display at the Donington Collection for a number of years, the car returned home to the Ferguson Family Museum on the Isle of Wight in 2004 where it was restored to full working order. Stirling was reunited with the car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed a year later and subsequently drove it at the Monaco Historic in 2008. The car has contested the Richmond Trophy at the Revival Meeting a number of times where it has been driven by BMMC President Barrie Williams. It also made an appearance at the Shelsey Walsh Hill Climb Centenary Celebrations.

Now firmly established on the historic racing circuit, the car will continue to be seen competing out on track, hopefully for many more years to come.

Ferguson P99 race car

4-wheel drive transmission
1.5 or 2.5 litre 4-cylinder Coventry Climax Engine
Dunlop Maxaret anti-lock brakes

In the 1961 Oulton Park Gold Cup, Stirling established a the record lap time of 1 m 46.4 secs at a speed of 93.42 mph.

In January, The Cars feature will focus on the Sunbeam-Talbot 90, a car that so nearly took Stirling to victory in the Monte Carlo Rally.

To purchase signed or unsigned historic and modern images of Stirling racing the Ferguson P99, please click here