The BT3 was genesis, Brabham’s first Formula 1 car. But a delayed birth was compounded by unsteady first steps. After the team was supplied with the wrong exhaust, Ron Tauranac’s design wouldn’t replace the stopgap Lotus 24 as Jack Brabham’s steer until the 1962 German Grand Prix.
Engine failure during practice at the Nurburgring forced the team to fit a make-do-and-mend throttle linkage using borrowed parts from the 24 for the race. The improvised effort was insufficient, and Brabham retired the car from its first outing. A potential dream debut lay in tatters.
