Merlyn Mk11A Formula Ford

History

The Merlyn Mk11A was produced by Colchester Racing Developments Ltd. in 1969 as a development of their already highly successful Mk11 Formula Ford. Tim Schenken had proved the Colchester design concept in 1968 by winning the British Formula Ford Championship (BRSCC Formula Ford 1600). The Mk11A was a further improvement for 1969, incorporating new bodywork, new springs, and other tweaks. 

The Mk11A would go on to earn its place in Formula Ford history with what would become a remarkable roster of drivers and successes:

• Emerson Fittipaldi drove a Mk11A in 1969, including the now-famous “Magic Merlyn” chassis in which he claimed three victories.
• Colin Vandervell later acquired the ex-Fittipaldi car, winning the Les Leston British Formula Ford Championship with an incredible 12 victories in a single season.
• Jody Scheckter took over the ex-Fittipaldi/Vandervell car, adding further wins and cementing the “Magic Merlyn” legend.
• James Hunt, another future F1 World Champion, also raced a 1969 Merlyn Mk11A.

It is rather incredible to think that Fittipaldi went from racing his Mk11A Merlyn in 1969 to being Formula One World Champion just three years later in 1972, at only 25 years old (the youngest World Champion ever at the time). James Hunt would then parlay his success in a Merlyn Mk11A to become F1 World Champion in 1976. Within 10 years of racing the ex-Fittipaldi Mk11A “Magic Merlyn”, Jody Scheckter would join his fellow Merlyn stars at the top of F1 winning the World Championship in 1979. 

This particular Merlyn has been raced for many years in Northern California. It has been professionally maintained by the Crossflow Cup Championship winning shop, Katusha Speed Shop at Sonoma Raceway. The Merlyn also comes with log books all the way back to 1977. The car’s most recent race was in 2025. 

Description

The Merlyn is constructed with a tubular steel space-frame chassis with triangulation, and fiberglass bodywork. Front suspension is by upper and lower wishbones, coil springs and dampers. Rear suspension is by reverse lower wishbones with top links and parallel radius arms. Brakes are Girling, outboard front and rear.

The Merlyn is powered by a 1600 c.c. Ivey Formula Ford engine. The engine has  7 race weekends on it. The typical refresh window for these engines is around 40 hours. The engine is backed by a correct Hewland 4 speed gearbox. The car weighs in at approximately 950 lbs.

Today with this Merlyn Mk11A we can recreate what it must have been like to be one of those soon-to-be famous up-and-coming young lions, and future Formula One World Champions. We can do that through Historic Formula Ford racing worldwide. The grids are large like they were in the day. The racing is fun, challenging, and exciting, no matter where you are in the grid. As in period, the camaraderie is also fabulous. 

So think about getting a 1960s formula car racing icon, and relatively speaking, for very little money. These Merlyns look great in the paddock, in your garage, in photos on the wall of your office, at car shows, and of course at speed on the track. They are quick, and have important winning pedigree. What’s not to like? 

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