CARBARN | Honda RA271 | The Honda RA271 was Honda's second Formula One racing car, and its first to actually enter a race. The car was developed from the company's 1963 prototype, designated RA270 retrospectively.
Although RA271s only contested three 1964 Grands Prix, driven on each occasion by the American sports car racing-specialist Ronnie Bucknum, its innovative, transversely mounted, 1.5 L (92 cu in) V12 engine - Sometimes cited as "the strongest engine of F1's 1.5-liter era "formed the basis of Honda's race-winning RA272 of 1965 at the Mexican Grand Prix, driven by Richie Ginther (USA).
The car's best result was at its debut, after withdrawing from the Belgian Grand Prix, at the 1964 German Grand Prix, where Bucknum was running 11th before spinning out and being classified 13th. Engine dimensions of the 1965 48-valve V12 were 58.1 x 47.0 mm 1,495.28 cc. 230 bhp (170 kW) was quoted at 13.000 rpm.
