Colchester Racing Developments

1960s

The first Merlyn was the MK 1, a Formula Junior car which was never raced. The car was designed by Selwyn Hayward. Future Formula 1 driver Teddy Pilette drove the MK 3 in various Formula Junior races. Ian Raby drove a MK 3 in the BRSCC Formula Junior entered by Empire Racing Team. The following year Merlyns were entered in the BRSCC Formula Junior by Raby and Malcolm Fruitnight. The best result were a few top five finishes at Brands Hatch. 1962 was also the first year Merlyn Racing entered the prestigious Monaco Formula 3 Grand Prix. The 1962 race was no success. Driver John Brown did not manage to qualify. Factory driver Jonathan Williams achieved a fifth-place finish driving a prototype MK 5. A MK 4 sports car powered by a Coventry Climax engine driven by Richard Redgrave finished second in the 1963 Copenhagen Cup at the Roskilde Ring.

After making more Formula Junior and sports cars Merlyn focused on Formula 2 and Formula 3. Formula Junior was effectively replaced by the 1.0-litre Formula 2 and Formula 3 as of 1964. Future Formula One driver Chris Irwin was one of the drivers of the MK 7. He drove it in the BARC Formula 3 and the British Formula 3. With three podium finishes in the British championship and a win in the BARC championship, Irwin achieved good results. A Merlyn MK 6 was entered by the team in the Group 7 British Sports Car Championship were it achieved some top 10 results. American driver Charles Barns won the SCCA National Championship Runoffs in the G Modified class in 1964. Barnes competed his MK 6 at the Runoffs in 1964 and 1965. Six Merlyns were entered into the 1965 Monaco Formula 3 Grand Prix. Three of the cars, including Iriwn, made it to the final race. The British factory driver started fifth and ended up on the podium in second place. Vincent Palmaro finished as last running driver in 17th place. The third Merlyn driven by Roger Brash did not finish. Irwin and Roger Mac were entered by Merlyn in the Trophées de France. The pair achieved no major results. Eleven MK 7s were built in both F2 and F3 guise. The car's successor, the MK 9, had some improvements increasing the fuel capacity.

As of 1967 the Formula 2 cars engine capacity was upgraded to 1.6-litre. The Merlyn Formula 2 cars were uncompetitive with the downsized Formula 1 cars. The production MK 10 cost only £950, compared to £1.450 for a Brabham. The Formula 3 MK 10 achieved some good results with Tony Lanfranchi: The British driver achieved four podium finishes and one win in the British championship. The factory team had a good run at the Grand Prix Adriatique at the Opatija Circuit in former Yugoslavia. Dave Walker finished first and other factory driver Martin Stephani finished third. The whole top five drove Merlyn cars.

In 1968 Lanfranchi achieved the runner-up position in the BRSCC Formula 3 championship 11 points behind Tim Schenken. 1968 also saw the introduction of Merlyn's first Formula Ford car, the MK 11. In its first year Tim Schenken took the BRSCC Formula Ford 1600 championship title. The following season was also highly successful with Luiz Pereira Bueno finishing second in the championship. Emerson Fittipaldi drove a Merlyn for a short time in the Formula Ford championship before graduating into Formula 3. This MK 11A, chassis 238, had become known as the 'Magic Merlyn'. Fittipaldi sold the car to Colin Vandervell for the 1970 season. The MK 12 designed for Formula 2 scored one point in the European championship with Brian Hart in 1968. The following season brought even less success in the Formula 1 constructor dominated class. Formula 3 frontrunner Tony Lanfranchi was sidelined after a traffic accident in 1969. This unfortunate event diminished the chances for good results for Merlyn. Merlyn cars achieved no top six finishes in any important Formula 3 races.

1970s

For 1970 a totally new racing car was introduced: the MK 16. This was a lightweight sports car built for the short-lived Formula F100 championship. The car was powered by a 1.3-litre Ford Escort engine. This class had to become the Formula Ford equivalent of sports car racing. However, the class folded after just a few seasons. Meanwhile, in Formula Ford Colin Vandervell drove the 'Magic Merlyn' to victory in the BRSCC Formula Ford championship.

The Merlyn MK 11 chassis was highly popular in Brazil. Many drivers drove the cars in the Brazilian championship among them Vern Schuppan. In Canada a Merlyn MK 17 won the CASC Quebec Region Formula Ford 1600 championship. The 'Magic Merlyn' returned to the track in 1971 with Jody Scheckter. Scheckter ended up fourth in the European Formula Ford Championship. The BRSCC championship was won by Bernard Vermilion in a MK 20. Scheckter would also compete in a Merlyn in Formula 3. The South African driver won one race running a half season in the BRSCC F3. This was the only Merlyn car scoring points in the BRSCC championship.

The British Formula Atlantic was launched in 1971. Merlyn updated the MK 14 Formula 3 car to fit the specifications. Mike Fraser started two races in the championship, with a best result of eighth. The car returned in 1972 with Mick Jones who finished consistently in the top-ten. Merlyn Formula B cars also made their way to the United States. Gordon Smiley entered a Merlyn MK 21 in the SCCA Continental Championship for Formula B/C. The American driver won the race at Road Atlanta. He finished fifth in the standings.

By 1972 Merlyn was no longer competitive in Formula 3. The best result was achieved by Swede Håkan Dahlqvist in the Coupe d'Europe at Magny-Cours where he finished sixth. In Formula Ford Merlyn was highly competitive. Three Merlyn chassis finished in the top ten of the 1972 Formula Ford Festival. Dave Loring finished fourth, Patrick Neve sixth and Hans Binder ninth. The following year Robert Arnott finished third at the festival. Merlyn chassis finished one-two in the Formula Ford Euroseries in 1973. Bengt Gilhorn finished first followed by Hans Binder.

Many Formula Ford cars were exported to the U.S.A. to race in the club racing scene. Some were used by racing schools like the Jim Russell Racing Driver School. British driver David Loring drove the MK 21, previously driven by Smiley, in the CASC Formula Atlantic in 1974. His best result came at Westwood where he finished fourth. The Formula Ford cars were ending up less competitive through the seasons. Competition from Lola, Royale, Van Diemen and many others prevented Merlyn from winning any major championships. Due to a combination of factors like the loss of a major client and the unfavorable dollar-Pound exchange rate, Colchester Racing Developments ended the production of racecars in 1979.

Current status

Clive Hayward continues to run Colchester Racing Developments Ltd manufacturing Merlyn parts and carrying out Merlyn chassis repairs.