Formula Vee.

**Xavier PJB** · 12-02-2014, 08:47 AM

All,
I have few friends here running Formula Vee. This seems to be famous/popular in the USA mid 60's. Still some vintage racing.
Anyone could tell me a bit more about ?
BORA French brand made some too.
Any for sale ?
Cheers
Xavier

**mobius911** · 12-02-2014, 09:28 AM

I raced Formula Vee in the 1990's through early 2000's. At the time it was the second most popular class in SCCA. Big grids of closely matched cars is what makes racing fun; didn't matter how fast you were, there was always someone to race against. I think the class is stable or in modest decline now, but I haven't really kept up on it. But I can tell you that FV racing is an absolute blast! Given the low power of the engines, and the closely matched car performance dictated by the rules, getting faster (and winning) really puts a premium on driving skills.

It is an international class, and it has been around as you indicated since the 60's. I was at a vintage race at Sears Point in October and there were a couple of Vees there. They looked like mid 60's or early 70's with the old Z-bar setup in the back to minimize jacking of the swing-arm suspension (new versions use a zero-roll single spring/shock joining the two arms).

FV is probably still the most affordable way to go formula car racing. Winning cars in the U.S. can be had for around $10,000 (or at least they used to be), and upkeep is reasonable. A once-a-year rebuild by a professional is nothing compared to what we pay for our 911s.

FV car building is a cottage industry with no one dominant manufacturer, so there are plenty of different versions out there. It's very likely that there are multiple builders in Europe; I know the U.S. better. My first car was a home-brew car built by a racer, and I won plenty with it. My second car was a Mysterian, built by Kurt Lemay (son of the famous U.S. Air Force General who opened up the U.S. airbases to sportscar racing after WWII).

There has been some discussion about evolving the class to disk brakes and other modern conveniences (called Formula First), but I don't know if that is taking hold.

**Xavier PJB** · 12-02-2014, 11:42 AM

Greetings Jeff.

Would be interesting to know all the manufacturers. I understand people was able to build thier own. Any technical documents around ?
Any personal pictures ?

found this
http://www.formulavee.us/gallery/bf1.htm

Cheers
Xavier

**mobius911** · 12-02-2014, 02:06 PM

There is plenty of technical documentation available, but I expect that there will be subtle differences between sanctioning bodies. So you really need to know where you intend to race it and then contact that organization for the rules and specifications on the cars. I will see what references I can come up with from this side of the pond.

**Aldo** · 12-02-2014, 06:03 PM

Apexspeed.com is a great resource for FV and has an active forum as well.

**Xavier PJB** · 12-02-2014, 11:23 PM

Thanks guys, one og the FV I saw in 2013 at Montlhery, France.
Would be interested in vintage FVs. I will continue to dig out information.
Xavier

IMAG1067.jpg
IMAG1070.jpg
IMAG1072.jpg