Emeryson

Emeryson was a small but fascinating British Formula One constructor whose appearances at the top level came in short, spirited bursts during 1956, then again in 1961 and 1962. Never a major manufacturer and never blessed with vast resources, Emeryson instead embodied the adventurous privateer spirit of early Grand Prix racing—where engineering imagination, workshop determination and sheer nerve could still earn a place on the grid.

Engines	Alta S4, Climax S4, Maserati S4
Entrants	Emeryson André Pilette Ecurie Nationale Belge Ecurie Maarsbergen
First entry	1956 British Grand Prix
Last entry	1962 Monaco Grand Prix
Races entered	7 (4 starts)
Race victories	0
Constructors’ Championships	0
Drivers’ Championships	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0

The marque was named after Paul Emery, the talented engineer-driver at the heart of the project. In many ways, Emeryson was less a company in the modern corporate sense and more an expression of one family’s racing obsession. That makes its story all the more memorable.

Family roots and early specials

The Emery family had been building racing specials long before the Emeryson name officially appeared. Paul Emery’s father, George Emery, had constructed competition cars before the Second World War, helping establish a tradition of practical engineering and home-built speed.

In 1948, one of those pre-war specials was dramatically reworked to house a mighty 4.0-litre Duesenberg engine for Northern Irish racer Bobbie Baird. The car was entered for the British Grand Prix, an ambitious move that captured the boldness of the period. Unfortunately, a variety of issues prevented the machine from taking the start. It was an early reminder that ambition in motorsport often arrives before reliability.

500cc racers and the road to Formula cars

In 1949, George Emery and his brother Peter built a 500cc formula racing car, which Paul drove himself. These lightweight machines were hugely important in post-war British racing, providing an affordable proving ground for future constructors and drivers alike.

Emeryson continued producing cars for the 500cc category throughout much of the 1950s, steadily building experience in chassis design and race preparation. While larger manufacturers chased headlines, smaller outfits like Emeryson were learning the craft that would eventually feed into Britain’s Formula One rise.

Paul Emery’s own ambitions moved upward in 1953, when he built an Alta-engined Formula Two car. That was followed by an Aston Martin-powered special designed to meet the new Formula One regulations introduced for 1954.

Formula One debut

The Emeryson Formula One car made its debut with an eye-catching driver: future Lotus founder Colin Chapman. He drove the machine in the 1954 BRDC International Trophy, giving the project instant curiosity value.

The result, however, was less glamorous. The car proved slow and unreliable, finishing 17th and last. Rather than abandon the effort, Paul Emery responded the old-fashioned way—back to the workshop. The Aston Martin engine was removed and replaced with an Alta unit enlarged to 2.5 litres.

That decision transformed the car’s competitiveness. Suddenly, the Emeryson looked like more than an interesting sideshow.

best days of the original Emeryson

With the revised Alta-powered car, Emeryson enjoyed its strongest period in 1956. Paul Emery finished second in the London Trophy at Crystal Palace after battling for victory with Stirling Moss in a Maserati 250F.

For a small independent British constructor to dice with one of the finest drivers of the age in one of the era’s great Grand Prix cars was no small feat. It showed that clever engineering and determination could still bridge some of the gap to the giants.

That same year, Paul Emery made his one and only World Championship start in the British Grand Prix. The race ended early with ignition trouble after he had been running at the back, but simply qualifying and taking the start placed Emeryson into official Formula One history.

Return in the new Formula One era

After its initial burst, Emeryson faded from the front pages, but not for good. In 1960, Paul Emery joined forces with Alan Brown with plans to produce a run of 50 two-litre racing cars. It was an ambitious commercial vision, though the final result was more modest.

The partnership led to a batch of Formula Junior machines and, more significantly, a fresh Formula One model powered by a Coventry Climax engine. This gave Emeryson another route back to Grand Prix racing just as the rear-engined revolution was changing the sport.

Écurie Nationale Belge and continental customers

The revived Emeryson project found customers in Écurie Nationale Belge, the Belgian national racing team. ENB purchased three Emeryson chassis, fitting two of them with Maserati engines.

One of those cars delivered a particularly respectable result when Lucien Bianchi drove it to fourth place in the Brussels Grand Prix in 1961. It was not a World Championship podium, but for a niche British constructor supplying customer cars, it was a notable success and proof that the chassis could compete capably in the right hands.

Settember, Campbell-Jones and the Scirocco transition

During this later period, wealthy American heir Hugh Powell purchased the company with the intention of running American driver Tony Settember in Emeryson machinery. It was another example of how small constructors often survived through partnerships, patronage and entrepreneurial improvisation rather than factory-scale funding.

Settember was joined in 1962 by John Campbell-Jones, and by the end of that season the cars had evolved into the new Scirocco marque. That effectively marked the end of Emeryson as an independent Formula One constructor, though its engineering DNA continued briefly under a new badge.

Legacy

Emeryson never became a championship contender, never built cars in large numbers, and never enjoyed the security of major manufacturer backing. Yet that misses the point. The team represented the wonderfully inventive age of Formula One when talented individuals could design cars in small workshops, race them personally, sell them to customers and occasionally trouble the established names.

Its battles with Stirling Moss, its World Championship start, its links to future names such as Colin Chapman, and its later partnership with Belgian entrants all give Emeryson a rich place in motorsport history. It was a constructor built on ingenuity, persistence and the belief that even the little teams deserved their shot at Grand Prix glory.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

Works entries

Year	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Points	WCC
1956	Emeryson Mk1	Alta S4	D		ARG	MON	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA		-*	-*
				Paul Emery						Ret
1962	Emeryson Mk2	Climax S4	D		NED	MON	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA	USA	RSA	0	NC
				Tony Settember					11		Ret

Results of other Emeryson cars

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1961						MON	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA	USA
	Equipe Nationale Belge	Emeryson P	Climax S4	D	André Pilette							DNQ
		Emeryson 1001 Emeryson Mk2	Maserati S4	D	Lucien Bianchi	DNQ
					Olivier Gendebien	DNQ
1962						NED	MON	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA	USA	RSA
	Ecurie Maarsbergen	Emeryson 1006	Climax S4	D	Wolfgang Seidel	NC