Formula 3's early days in 1948, mostly saw Cooper cars powered by 500cc motorcycle engines from Norton, Triumph, BMW and JAP. This engine format ran until 1964 where it was then bumped up to 1000cc. FIA regulations kept increasing displacement to 1600cc in 1971, and then finally to its current size of 2000cc in 1974.
Since then these 1974 Formula 3 FIA engine regulations have more or less remained the same; (2000cc, 4-cylinder, normally aspirated stock block engine with an expandable air inlet restrictor) making it one of the longest-lasting technical stabilities in any global motorsport category.
This status quo has created the Formula 3 engine to be a very dependable and reliable unit through the constant development and evolution of this same technical platform. Many of today?s current Formula 3 engine providers have been involved every year in developing Formula 3 engines for the past 30, 40 or even 50 years.
By undergoing continuous development with the same basic concept matches a similar philosophy shared by Porsche and their ultra-successful 911 model, whom has created an incredibly-reliable supercar since 1963. Everyone knows that you can beat the hell out of a Porsche 911, drive it year-round, (even in the snow) race or track lap the car, and she'll always keep begging for more.
Many engine manufacturers have had a crack at Formula 3 since its inception in 1948 because of its International status and recognition. Many of these same manufacturers listed below still support engine rebuilds and spare parts sales to various Formula 3 Championships, or have their engines running competitively in gentlemen club-level racing.
(Those manufacturers are underlined below and are the largest logo sizes in the attached JPEG.)
So when you think of engine reliability, engine rebuild intervals, and engine running costs with other formulas here in the United States and Canada, it's understandably hard to grasp and understand as to why a Toyota Formula 3 engine will last until 6,200 miles before a rebuild is needed when the comparable race engine here on this continent requires rebuilds every 1000 miles
When you add up your costs for an engine rebuild every 1 or 2 years, and your dollar costs per mile, per km or per lap, just think about how many full race seasons that you can squeeze out of a 10,000 km / 6,200 mile Toyota or Opel Formula 3 engine. Anyone can see why this is hard to comprehend, but I do hope this thread quells those doubts.
Formula 3 Engine Manufacturers:
1948 - Norton
1948 - Triumph
1949 - BMW
1964 - Renault
1964 - Ford
1967 - Cosworth
1971 - Alfa Romeo
1974 - Toyota
1975 - Lancia
1978 - Chevrolet
1979 - Volkswagen
1981 - Mercedes Benz
1984 - Nissan
1985 - Saab
1988 - Honda
1991 - Mugen
1989 - Opel
1989 - Peugeot
1992 - Vauxhall
1993 - Fiat
1994 - Mitsubishi