Best sounding F1 engine ever

[Rodriguez 917]

What do you think the best F1 engine sound is? My top 3 are the BRM V16, Matra V12 and the 1991/92 Honda V12. What's yours?

To get you thinking take a look at one of my Youtube videos I took at Goodwood in 2000.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE2GnDfous0

[Powered by Cosworth]

Anything pre-1994 with 'Ferrari V12' on the side

[Valve Bounce]

What do you think the best F1 engine sound is? My top 3 are the BRM V16, Matra V12 and the 1991/92 Honda V12. What's yours?

To get you thinking take a look at one of my Youtube videos I took at Goodwood in 2000.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE2GnDfous0

Very interesting that you listed the Matra. I was at Brands one year, and we were standing in line and behind one of the straights. I noted that the Matra vibrated one of the fillings in one tooth as it accelerated up the straight. The next time I went to the dentist, I had to have the filling replaced. That day, no question, that sound was the most impressive on the track.

[blito]

BRM V16
also the Weslake V12 and Matra V12
:)

[shazbot]

OK it's not F1 but the Group C Mazda 4 rotor was an ear splitter. as mentioned above though the V12 Ferrari still gives me goose bumps.

[Rodriguez 917]

Yeah the Mazda sounds amazing. All Ferrari V12's are good, another one is the 67 Honda V12. Saw one at Goodwood in 1999

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlCg5EzbJD0

[Mark in Oshawa]

The Mazda 4 rotor like all rotaries sounded neat, but more like a chainsaw on megasteroids.

I have to say I have heard the Matra on tape and that was just wild. Any of the v12/Flat 12's of the 70's and early 80's rank up there, and I cant complain about the sound of a Cossie. The modern f1 iron just sounds too tinny and technical. The modern motor just hasn't the soul of the the f1 machines of yesteryear.

[Sonic]

1995 Ferrari ticked all my boxes.

[UltimateDanGTR]

they all sound great to me! Ferrari 95 was a great sound, ao was the BRM V16, I cant decide!

[Rodriguez 917]

I agree modern cars don't sound great, probably the best is the BMW which sounds awesome on the overrun. Also the 2000 Mercedes sounded sweet

[ChrisS]

The Lamborghini V12 from the early 90s had a great sound, too bad that other than that the engine was useless

[TheFamousEccles]

I was at the Adelaide OZGP (forget which year), during practice. Mansell was in a Ferarri and had spun just before the Stag hotel corner, right where I and my friends were situated. All went relatively quiet until Nige gave it the berries and did a flick turn to get it pointed in the right direction and be on his way. The sound of the engine wailing as it bounced off the rev limiter was deafening, and our hero screamed off in a huge pall of tyre smoke, much to the approval of the gathered tifosi. Cool as feck. That's my vote.

[AndyL]

Having heard a few at Brands at the weekend, I have to say the Coventry Climax 1500cc V8 sounded fantastic.

[Rollo]

The BMW in the Benetton B186 always sounded like it was three revs away from complete detenation. The engine produced so much power (1750bhp in Saturday 3 lap trim), that it was as if you could hear the whole unit getting set to explode.

Other than that, a DFV always sounds like home to me.

[K-Pu]

I vote for the V6 Renault turbo, both in F1 and in my favourite car: Renault 5 Maxi Turbo.

Also the DFV sounds quite nice, seems to have "soul".
That BRM V16 is a howling beast... Nice too.
Also the Ferrari Flat 12´s has something, they sound, IMVHO, better than the V12´s.
Modern V10´s were a bit... dissapointing.

[nigelred5]

Any of the 70's and early 80's f1motors sounded great. Raspy, uncivilized, gutteral. None of that 19K rpm wail. BRRRRRRRRAAAAP!!!!!!! BRAAAAAAAAP BPAAAAAAP!

It reminds me of the VW clean TDI commercial running right now. /what's your TDI sound like vroom vrooom vroooom . What's your Hybrid sound like? Whooosh!. hmm, dat's cool. :roll eyes:

http://sachin.posterous.com/volkswagen-jetta-tdi-commercial-directly-atta

[blito]

TBH, all race engines sound better when your upclose with them - youtube etc doesnt do them justice... best engine i heard in person was a 3L Austin C-series in a Healy 3000 racer at a Cadwell clubmans meet in the early 1990`s.... a lovely growly sort of sound that sounded a whole lot more purposeful than the 3.5 V8 morgans out there at the same time

[K-Pu]

Well, being there even my car sounds good...

And I have a Citroën AX, 13 years old, 1.5 diesel and it has climbed some of the most horrid mountains here in Spain. Trust me, it sounded on the verge of total death... :D

[AAReagles]

What do you think the best F1 engine sound is? My top 3 are the BRM V16, Matra V12 and the 1991/92 Honda V12. What's yours?

I always like that distinct shrill of the Ford-Cosworth V-8... wish I had the opportunity to see it on form during it's heyday in the late 60's-early 80's. Particularly stuck in the back of a Ronnie Peterson fitted JPS Lotus.

:up: Great moniker btw! It's good to see that Pedro is still remembered. Speaking of which... those 917's didn't sound so bad either on the audio in "Le Mans."

[blito]

Oh god yes... the 917 was beast alright... mind you, most 5000cc 12-pots sound decent enough :D

[philipbain]

Easy one this, Matra V12, sounded awesome, infact it sounded so good that it wasnt that great as an F1 engine, all the horses were wasted on creating the soundtrack!!

Going on to more modern engines I always liked the scream of the V10s, the current V8s sound muted by comparison, infact the move from V10s to V8s strikes me as the most pointless move in recent F1 history as all it did was ensure the most costly way possible to achieving parity in engine power.

Also the Honda and Ferrari 3.5 litre V12s sounded fantastic, the Honda had a lovely throaty bottom end twinned with a high rev scream.