I also thought the 72 would prevail, but I applaud the choice of the 49. My personal favourite F1 weapon of all time, the thing I really dig about the 49 is it's pre-aero and pre-corporate sponsorship. The last gasp of the old-school Grand Prix car before big money barged in and reared its ugly head, combined with the brave new 3 litre formula. I am glad the pragmatic minds of the Motorsport readership agree, as I generally think that the glitzier world that followed is more attractive to the great unwashed masses.
I am sometimes annoyed, though, when articles on the subject proclaim the 49 as being the first to use the engine as a stressed member of the chassis when the 43 also exhibited this feature. Sure, the 49 did it better, having been designed for such a fitment from the beginning. But the 43 did it legitimately, the contrived H-16 pushing the 43 to a victory at Watkins Glen. I guess it's because I have always had a soft spot for the sometimes-forgotten 43. That H-16, as impractical and unlikely as it is, just blows my mind in terms of its complexity and the story of its creation. In shear audacity, I think only the Vanwall 1.5 litre V-16 can compete. I would surely have loved to hear either one of them run in anger.
But I digress... score another victory for the Type 49.
