Description
How would you like an actual Cosworth Formula 1 crankshaft to display in your home or office? And how about one from the crazy days of +1,000 bhp V6 turbos in the mid-80s? We have for sale one of the actual crankshafts that was fitted to the Cosworth GBA engines in 1987, raced by the Benetton team.
Cosworth GBA Engine
The GBA turbo V6 engine was active in Formula 1 for just two seasons – 1986 and 1987. Initially designed for Beatrice Lola team, the GBA engine was Cosworth’s only turbocharged Formula 1 engine. The birth of this engine was immortalised in the Equinox video that can be found on YouTube.
After multiple victories with the DFV engine, and in response to the switch by the major OEMs to turbocharged engines, Cosworth was tasked by Ford with creating a brand new engine for the 1986 season. The result was the GBA, a 120 degree 1.5 litre V6 twin-turbocharged monster that was capable of power figures in excess of 1,000 bhp.
The GBA was introduced in the early part of the 1986 season for the defacto Ford works team, Beatrice Lola, with Alan Jones and Patrick Tambay at the wheel. Following the withdrawal of the team at the end of the year, the supply of the GBA switched to the Benetton team, and was raced in 1987 by Thierry Boutsen and Teo Fabi.
Sadly, after just two seasons, the GBA was dropped from Formula 1. The engine regulations for 1988 switched to normally-aspirated 3.5 litre engines, and the GBA was discontinued.
Cosworth GBA Formula 1 Crankshaft
One of the most highly-stressed components in the GBA engine was the crankshaft. The crankshaft was subjected to the intense loads from the extreme gas pressures, and it had to be strong enough to withstand over 1,000 bhp.
As a result, the crankshaft had to be made from the best materials available at the time, and went through a lengthy manufacturing process. The crankshaft was milled from high strength steel alloy billet, before then going through various heat treatment and gas nitriding processes. It was then finish-machined, with the crankpin and mains journals ground to tightly controlled tolerances.
This actual crankshaft was used in the 1987 Formula 1 season, raced by the Benetton team in their B187 chassis. Note that as this crankshaft is nearly 40 years old there is some surface corrosion present.
Details:
- Overall diameter = 11 cm
- Length= 40 cm
- Weight = 9 kg
- Material = High strength nitrided steel alloy