- In this the first of a two-part series. It's mid 1984 and we join 'Cosworth' the British racing engine manufacturer that is the last company to make a 'Formula 1' engine to the 3.0 litre naturally-aspirated rules against the 1.5 litre turbocharged competitors. In July 1984 at the British Grand Prix (Brands Hatch), 'Cosworth' and 'Ford' announce that have decided to join forces again and create a new 'F1' engine to the highly powerful 1.5 litre regulations in order to remain competitive. This is the start of that journey into the design, build and testing of a new engine unlike anything they have done before. (F1) 'TURBO - Once Around The Block' follows the development of the 'Ford Cosworth - GBA TEC' V6 Twin Turbo 'Formula 1' engine.—Britrick_c21
- We start this first of a two-part documentary at the 1984 British Grand Prix (Brands Hatch, Kent) with Keith Duckworth of 'Cosworth Engineering' and Mike Kranefuss, Head of 'Ford Motorsport'. Here they contemplate that the 3.0 litre naturally aspirated 'Ford Cosworth DFV' (and the newer' DFY') are no longer able to compete with the 1.5 litre turbocharged engines of 'Renault', 'Ferrari', 'BMW', 'Porsche', 'Honda' and 'Hart'.
This documentary charts their development in creating a new engine to the newer engine format, but not before going down the wrong pathway of trying to emulate the 'BMW' and 'Hart' route of creating an 'in-line 4 cylinder' turbo engine. They start off with one of their previous successes, the 'Cosworth - BDA' but with modifications to the capacity but without the turbo charging for a base-line to compare with future and further development. However the results are catastrophic as one of these engines has broken and ceased totally.
Upon a mechanical postmortem, it becomes clear that this design will not withstand the heavy loads and pressure required of a modern turbo-charged 'Formula One' engine. After several months work, they have to admit defeat and try the route that their competitors 'Renault', 'Ferrari', 'Porsche' and 'Honda' have taken, the mighty V6. With its better structural integrity and reliability, the work is now on again with a clean-sheet approach to avoid any further issues and delays.
Work on the new design philosophy means they are behind their competitors and their own schedule. There is another major challenge with the addition of developing a new type of ignition system, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), that must be robust enough to work and withstand the heat and heavy gravitational effects of a 'Formula One' car at speed.
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What is the broadcast (satellite or terrestrial TV) release date of Turbo: Once Around the Block (1986) in Australia?
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