JBW

JBW Cars was a British racing car manufacturer and Formula One constructor active between 1959 and 1961. Founded by amateur racing driver Brian Naylor and engineer Fred Wilkinson, the company embodied the spirit of the independent British privateer during Formula One’s front-engined to rear-engined transition. Although JBW never achieved World Championship success, its self-built cars became a familiar sight in British and European Formula One events and represented one of the last serious attempts by a small private team to compete against the increasingly dominant factory constructors.

Nationality	British
Years Active	1959–1961
First Race	1959 British Grand Prix
Last Race	1961 Italian Grand Prix
Race Entries	6
Race Starts	5
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Pole Positions	0
Fastest Laps	0
Points	0
Constructors’ Championships	0
Drivers’ Championships	0
Best Start	7th
Best Finish	13th
Did Not Start	0
Did Not Qualify	1
Retirements	4

Origins

Brian Naylor, a wealthy motor dealer from Stockport and an enthusiastic amateur racing driver, financed mechanic and engineer Fred Wilkinson to design and build a series of racing cars.

Brian Naylor

F1 Debut 1959 British Grand Prix

Current/Last Team JBW

The partnership initially concentrated on sports cars, which proved competitive in British national-level competition, although they struggled against stronger international opposition. Alongside these sports racers, JBW also prepared Cooper single-seaters for Naylor to campaign in Formula Two and selected Formula One events.

Encouraged by their growing experience, Naylor decided to move beyond modifying existing Coopers and commission a Formula One car of their own.

Formula One

JBW Type 1

For the 1959 season, Wilkinson designed the JBW Type 1, a rear-engined Formula One car heavily influenced by the contemporary Cooper designs. Power came from a 2.5-litre Maserati straight-six engine mounted behind the driver, following the revolutionary layout that Cooper had popularised.

The car made its debut in the non-championship BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone on 2 May 1959. Naylor arrived too late to record a qualifying time but was permitted to start the race, only for gearbox failure to force his retirement on lap 41.

The Type 1 made its World Championship debut at the 1959 British Grand Prix at Aintree. Naylor produced an impressive qualifying performance, starting ahead of established drivers Tony Brooks, Jack Fairman and Ivor Bueb. However, the promise shown in qualifying was undone by another transmission failure, ending his race after 18 laps.

The team’s final appearance of the season came at Oulton Park’s Gold Cup meeting, where an accident during practice prevented Naylor from qualifying.

1960 season

The Type 1 returned for the 1960 International Trophy, where Naylor qualified last but achieved the car’s first complete race distance, climbing to 11th by the finish.

That encouraging result was followed by disappointment at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Naylor failed to qualify for the World Championship race.

The highlight of the season came at the British Grand Prix, where Naylor qualified 18th before bringing the JBW home in 13th place, his best World Championship finish.

Further encouragement followed with 11th place in the non-championship Silver City Trophy at Brands Hatch.

Perhaps the team’s most impressive qualifying performance came at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Naylor secured seventh place on the grid against much stronger opposition, demonstrating the pace of the JBW-Maserati over a single lap. Unfortunately, reliability once again intervened when the gearbox failed on lap 42.

The remainder of the 1960 season proved frustrating. One further World Championship appearance, at the United States Grand Prix, and two non-championship races all ended in retirement.

JBW Type 2

During 1961 the original Maserati-powered car continued to appear in several Intercontinental Formula events, but reliability problems persisted and none of its races ended with a finish.

The Type 1 was also briefly fitted with a 1.5-litre Maserati engine for several non-championship Formula One events, although the change brought little improvement.

Recognising that the new 1.5-litre Formula One regulations required a fresh approach, Naylor and Wilkinson designed the JBW Type 2 around the Coventry Climax FPF four-cylinder engine.

The new car debuted in the British Empire Trophy at Silverstone, ironically run to Intercontinental Formula regulations, but retired before the finish.

Its only Formula One World Championship appearance came at the 1961 Italian Grand Prix, where it again failed to finish. Just a week later, however, Naylor achieved the best result of JBW’s Formula One project by finishing ninth in the non-championship International Gold Cup at Oulton Park.

The team’s final race came in the Lewis-Evans Trophy at Brands Hatch, where retirement on the opening lap brought JBW’s competitive career to an end.

Legacy

At the conclusion of the 1961 season, Brian Naylor retired from racing as deteriorating health made it increasingly difficult to continue competing. With its founder stepping away from the sport, JBW Cars was wound up.

Although the team never scored Formula One World Championship points, JBW remains a notable example of the independent British constructor movement that flourished during the 1950s and early 1960s. Built largely through the determination of Brian Naylor and Fred Wilkinson, the JBW cars reflected an era when talented private entrants could still design, build and race their own Formula One machinery against the world’s leading manufacturers.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

Year	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	Driver	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Points	WCC
1957	Cooper T43	Climax L-4	D		ARG	MON	500	FRA	GBR	GER	PES	ITA				n/a1	n/a1
				Brian Naylor						13
1958	Cooper T45	Climax L4	D		ARG	MON	NED	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	POR	ITA	MOR	n/a2	n/a2
				Brian Naylor								Ret
1959	JBW Type 1	Maserati L4	D		MON	500	NED	FRA	GBR	GER	POR	ITA	USA			0	NC
				Brian Naylor					Ret
1960	JBW Type 1	Maserati L4	D		ARG	MON	500	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	POR	ITA	USA		0	NC
				Brian Naylor		DNQ					13		Ret	Ret
1961	JBW Type 2	Climax L4	D		MON	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA	USA				0	NC
				Brian Naylor				WD			Ret