Australia’s most successful racing car will soon receive Australian motorsport’s highest honour.
The Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame today announced that the Repco-Brabham BT19 F1® car, raced by Sir Jack Brabham to the 1966 Formula 1® Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships – the only time a driver has won both F1 titles in a car of their own make – will become its 100th inductee.
This is the first time a car, instead of a person, has been uplifted to the Hall of Fame, which includes Australian motorsport’s greatest pioneers, champions and heroes.
The Repco-Brabham BT19 will be inducted at an official presentation ceremony at this year’s Formula 1® Qatar Airways Australian Grand Prix. The event will take place at the Fan Stage at 1:00 P.M. (AEDT) on Thursday 5 March.
Members of Sir Jack Brabham’s family and original team members from Repco-Brabham Engines, the Australian company that designed, engineered and produced the car’s 3.0-litre V8 F1® engine in Melbourne, Australia, will join the ceremony, which will coincide with Sir Jack’s centenary year.
Wayne Bryant, Chief Merchandise and Growth Officer, Repco Australia: “Inducting the Repco-Brabham BT19 to the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame is a great tribute to the outstanding people who created this landmark car, which conquered Ferrari, Lotus, Maserati and others to write one of Australia’s greatest success stories.
“The fact that Repco created the BT19’s V8 Formula 1® engine remains a source of inspiration for all of our team members across Australia and New Zealand.
John Smailes, Chair of the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame: “The Repco-Brabham BT19 F1® car joins an exclusive gathering of the most successful and impactful figures in the sport.“It is the most important race car ever produced, the product of a rare combination of Australian genius.”
David Brabham, MD Brabham Group Limited and son of Sir Jack Brabham: “The partnership between Brabham, Tauranac and Repco is a proud chapter in Australian engineering and motorsport. Inducting the
Repco-Brabham BT19 to the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame is a fitting tribute to their combined achievements.
The Repco-Brabham BT19 will join its chassis designer, Ron Tauranac AO, and its Repco engine designer, Phil IrvingMBE, as a Hall of Fame member. Sir Jack Brabham was appointed Legend status in the Hall of Fame in 2018, one of only four to receive this highest honour.
Celebrating an Australian success story: 60 years ago, Sir Jack Brabham, car designer Ron Tauranac, their Brabham Formula 1® team and Repco- Brabham engines thrust Australia to the top of international motorsport and showed the world the best of Australia’s capabilities.
When the 1966 Italian Grand Prix concluded at the famous Monza racing circuit on Sunday 4 September, Jack Brabham had amassed enough points to secure his third and final Formula 1® Drivers’ World Championship. That year, his team won their first of two Formula 1® Constructors’ World Championships, the other secured in 1967. Jack Brabham’s 1966 double-title win remains the only time the F1® Drivers’ World Champion won the F1® Constructors’ World Championship.
About Jack Brabham: Sir Jack Brabham AO OBE (1926 – 2014) was Australia’s most successful Formula 1® driver. He was the first Australian to win the Formula 1® Drivers’ World Championship, which he won three times: in 1959, 1960 and 1966. He also won 14 Formula 1® Grand Prix races. Sir Jack Brabham was respected as an intensely competitive driver throughout his 23-year professional racing career. He was also regarded as an ingenious constructor alongside famed Australian engineer and racing car designer Ron Tauranac. Sir Jack Brabham was knighted in 1979 for services to motorsport, the first Formula 1® driver to receive a knighthood.
About the Repco-Brabham BT19 Formula 1® car: The Repco-Brabham BT19 was designed by Australian engineer Ron Tauranac. The car was built by Motor Racing Developments (MRD), Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac’s own company, and raced by their Brabham Racing Organisation. The car was powered by the Repco RB620 3.0-litre SOHC V8 engine, which was designed, engineered and produced by Repco in Melbourne, Australia. Only one Repco Brabham BT19 was produced, and it raced during the 1966 and 1967 Formula 1® championship seasons.
The Repco-Brabham BT19 Formula 1® car is owned by Repco’s parent company in Australia and is regarded as one of motor racing’s most important creations. Having recently starred at the F1 Exhibition in Melbourne, Repco has planned a number of special events during 2026 to publicly celebrate Sir Jack Brabham’s 1966 achievements with this groundbreaking racing car.
See the Repco Brabham BT19 on track and on display: The Repco-Brabham BT19 can be seen at the 2026 Adelaide Motorsport Festival from Saturday 28 February 2026.