Ford Cosworth DFV: the greatest racing engine ever made

Cosworth’s DFV engine dominated Formula 1 for more than a decade, also finding success at Le Mans and in IndyCar. Lawrence Butcher examines what made it unbeatable

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Taken from Motor sport, January 2022

Just as the Coventry Climax racing effort was fading in the mid-1960s, a new contender was waiting in the wings, which would seal its place in racing folklore: Cosworth. The company name was a combination of engineers Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth’s, both of whom worked together at Lotus and shared a background in aviation. Their most famous creation, the DFV 3.0-litre V8 engine, would form one part of an iconic motor racing combination in 1967, when paired with the Lotus 49 and Jim Clark. It would go on to be the engine of choice in grand prix racing for over a decade.

Keith Duckworth pores over the DFV details.