The Oddest F1 Racing Cars Ever Made

Dec 01, 2016 03:53 AM EST | Sharee Ann Narciso-Tolentino

F1 fans are always on the edge of their seats to find out which car and driver are the fastest. Through its course, there have been some of the oddest F1 cars that have made it on the esteemed track.

Formula 1 racing is held as the pinnacle of all motoring tournaments. Often, fans marvel at the speedy cars built with the best engines and specs of all time. Every now and then, however, there are some entries that are borderline weird. They are fast - no question about it - but they look odd.

The Guardian wraps up six of the oddest F1 cars in history so far. These include the 1971 March 711 which was the brainchild of Frank Costin. The problem with this race car was its overly large front wing, which gave it its apt nickname the "Flying Tea Tray." Its wing size made it look like it was an appropriate tool for serving tea and biscuits. Surprisingly, the car was fast enough to win second place in the 1971 championship. It also almost won the Italian Grand Prix.

Randstad joins in on the fun and makes its own compilation of the oddest F1 cars. For instance, it cites "The Stepladder" - or more formally, the Ensign N179. This car is proof that not all weird car designs lead to something good. In fact, this car was not just dubbed as one of the ugliest cars to participate in F1 - it also performed poorly. It had gigantic radiator grilles in the nose, instead of being placed in the side-pods.

The original goal was to give it a modern look, but ended up giving it a stepladder appearance. Since the oil cooler and radiator were so far away from the engine, the car suffered from massive overheating. The Stepladder's career was not one to boast about - it had seven qualification failures, three retirements, barely one finish and a total of zero points for the season.

Which ones from these two compilations did you think is the oddest F1 car?
 

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