12th-Feb-21, 10:15 AM
Policar have announced that two new classic F1 models are in development and are scheduled to be released around the end of 2021. There are no details of liveries, but there were enough works cars to produce some very attractive models.
The P153 was designed by Tony Southgate and raced in the 1970, 71 and 72 seasons in the classic BRM green, Yardley and Marlboro liveries. Powered by the in-house 3.0 litre V12, Pedro Rodríguez scored the P153's only victory at the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix. The Mexican grabbed another podium for the P153 at Watkins Glen later that year. Jackie Oliver had just one points finish in the sister car and part-timer George Eaton failed to score. 1971 saw a limited programme with Jo Siffert, Howden Ganley, Helmut Marko and John Cannon sharing one P153, while the new P160 scored all the points to put BRM second in the manufacturers' championship...
The P160 was more successful and spent longer in competitive action. Also designed by Southgate and powered by the BRM 3.0 litre V12, the P160 made its debut at the 1971 South African GP in the hands of Rodríguez. Siffert drove the P153 at Kyalami, but then switched to the new car for the rest of the season. Rodríguez was runner-up at Zandvoort in June, but was tragically killed in a European Can-Am race three weeks later. Vic Elford came in for one race, before Peter Gethin took over. Siffert won in Austria and Gethin at Monza for back-to-back victories. Second place in the championship has put BRM back where it had belonged for most of the 1960s.
Switching to Marlboro sponsorship for 1972, a total of seven drivers raced the P160B in world championship rounds - Ganley, Gethin and Jean-Pierre Beltoise being the lead trio. Beltoise took a famous win at Monaco in May - what would turn out to be his only Grand Prix win and the final world championship victory for BRM. The P160C was introduced towards the end of the season and used in 1973, together with the D and E versions. Beltoise, Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni picked up a handful of points to leave BRM seventh in the constructors' championship - the same position as in 1972.
The P201 replaced the P160E in 1974, Beltoise driving the new car from the third race of the season. Henri Pescarolo and François Migault were left with the P160E, but Beltoise's fifth place in Argentina was the final points finish for the ageing car - now in green and silvers colours and Motul sponsorship.
I would have seen the P153 and P160 several times at the Silverstone International Trophy races - Beltoise finishing second in 1972 and Regazzoni third in 1973. My dad was a big BRM supporter, having the ORMA badge on his car - so these are definitely on my shopping list for 2021 to replace (or complement?) my Scalextric P160 from the 70s.