H.A.R.
| Full name | H.A. Richards Racing |
|---|---|
| Base | Smethwick, United Kingdom |
| Founder(s) | Horace Richards |
| Noted drivers |  Horace Richards |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| First entry | n/a |
| Races entered | 0 |
| Constructors' Championships | 0 |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Final entry | n/a |
H.A.R. was a marque created by Smethwick garage owner and engineer Horace Richards, and named after his initials, the name used for two racing cars in the 1950s.
Chassis no. 1
[edit]
The first model built was a Formula 2 car powered by Riley engines, modified by Richards, with room for engines of 1,100cc, 1,500cc, or 2,000cc capacity depending on requirements. The car was built on the ladder-frame principle, with separate sections for scuttle and tail, and a low transmission tunnel meant the car was lower than most contemporary competitors.[1] Richards entered the car in Formula 2 races, and from 1954 Formula 1 races, usually pootling at the back to avoid trouble.[2] Richards' swansong with the car came in Formula Junior in 1960 and 1961.[3]
Richards never entered a World Championship Grand Prix; he took part in a Formule Libre supporting the 1953 British Grand Prix, even though the H.A.R. was eligible for the Grand Prix itself. However he finished 11th and last, 4 laps down in a 17 lap race.[4]
Chassis no. 2
[edit]In 1952, Richards built a copy of the Formula 2 car for Bertie Bradnack, which Bradnack christened Woden; it never started a race. Bradnack sold the chassis on to Northern Irish enthusiast Jim Berry, who restored the H.A.R. name and fitted an E.R.A. engine for races from 1954 to 1958s, and - with the E.R.A. engine swapped out to be fitted to Berry's E.R.A. chassis, and a Jaguar 3.4 litre engine fitted - it was eventually used in Australian historic racing in the 1970s.[5]
Other projects
[edit]Richards built a handful of hillclimbing specials under different names, and prepared another chassis to accept a 2.3 litre Bugatti engine, which was never completed. An H.A.R. rear end was also incorporated into a Frazer Nash special.[6]
References
[edit]- ↑ "A new name in Formula 2". The Autocar: 395. 28 March 1952.
- ↑ Lawrence, Mike (1989). Grand Prix Cars 1945–65. Bourne End: Aston Publications. pp. 162–3.
- ↑ Lawrence, Mike (January 1985). "Formula Junior - 25 years on". MotorSport: 33.
- ↑ "1953 Formule Libre race". Old Racing Cars. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
- ↑ "The ex-Bertie Bradnack/Jim Berry, formerly the ERA Special". Bonhams.
- ↑ Jenkinson, Denis (1987). Directory of Historic Racing Cars. Bourne End: Aston Publications. pp. 123–4.