British Racing Motors had been founded with the laudable intention of flying the flag at the top level of international motor racing.
But this post-war British engineering showcase spent much of its first decade mired in humiliation.
BRM's first attempt at a Formula 1 car, the Type 15, had been a classic example of engineering over-reach: its complex and temperamental supercharged 1.5-litre V16 engine was just one of its many problems.