Series
750 Formula
The world's longest-running motorsport championship, contested since 1949 in lightweight prototypes powered by 1.1-litre Fiat engines.
2026 · 6 of 6About 750 Formula
The 750 Formula is the world's longest-running motorsport championship, held continuously since 1949 under the 750 Motor Club. Conceived as an affordable route into racing around the 750cc Austin Seven engine, it now features purpose-built lightweight prototypes powered by 1.1-litre Fiat FIRE engines, keeping the emphasis on driver skill and clever engineering rather than budget. Three classes cater for different levels of experience and spend, and the formula has launched many drivers and designers into senior motorsport.
- Discipline
- Sports prototype
- 2026 season
- 6 rounds · season over
- All seasons
- 6 events
- Countries
- 1
750 Formula guide
History
750 Formula dates from 1949, when members of the 750 Motor Club — a club founded in 1939 to promote the sporting use of the Austin 7 — began racing specials built around the near-750cc Austin Seven engine and chassis. It is widely described as the world's longest continuously running racing formula, predating Formula 1's championship era. From the start its purpose was low-cost racing for amateur constructors, and the club's alumni include Colin Chapman, Eric Broadley, Adrian Reynard, Gordon Murray, Arthur Mallock and Derek Bennett, whose early cars — the first Lotus and Lola among them — grew out of this environment. Cars built to the original Austin 7 regulations still race separately in historic events, while the modern formula has evolved well beyond its roots.
The cars
Today's cars use the 1108cc Fiat FIRE engine, adopted in 2003, run in essentially standard form with a control camshaft, a single carburettor choke and only minor tuning such as balancing permitted; the exhaust is free. Chassis design is open — builders choose between a live rear axle or a Fiat transaxle with independent rear suspension — and control slick tyres are designed to last most of a season. The constructor culture remains central: many cars are designed and built by their drivers, kits are available for those who prefer not to start from scratch, and second-hand cars can be found from around £5,000.
Format & rules
The championship runs to roughly 12–14 rounds a season, grouped into double- and triple-header weekends on 750 Motor Club race days. A typical weekend consists of a qualifying session followed by two 15-minute races. Grids regularly exceed 20 cars, and a Class B — for drivers without recent podium finishes or top-six championship placings — carries its own trophies so newcomers have something to race for.
Watching it
The series races at UK club circuits; the 2026 calendar visits Donington Park, Silverstone, Anglesey, Cadwell Park, Snetterton and Mallory Park. It appears as one championship on a 750 Motor Club race-day bill — the club runs more than twenty championships for saloons, sports cars and single-seaters, so a day's programme features a rolling sequence of qualifying sessions and short races across several grids. The paddock is dominated by amateur-built machinery, reflecting the club's long-standing focus on competitive racing at grassroots cost.
Sources: Wikipedia + 750mc.co.uk