Harry Ferguson Research Limited was a British company founded by Sir Harry Ferguson and mostly known as a racing car constructor and supplier of four-wheel drive systems.
Harry Ferguson was part owner of the famous Massey-Ferguson tractor company, but grew intrigued with the research of Tony Rolt and Freddie Dixon. In 1950, they founded Ferguson Research Ltd. Their offers of Ferguson 4wd to carmakers were ignored. Over the next few years, Ferguson sold off his interest in Massey-Ferguson and turned to the construction of a Coventry-Climax powered 4WD Formula One car in 1960.
Despite the death of Ferguson later that year, the Ferguson P99 was raced during 1961 season in UK F1 races by Rob Walker's team. The car raced only once in the World Championship at the British Grand Prix. However the car won a non-championship race, the 1961 International Gold Cup at Oulton Park with Stirling Moss as the driver. As of today, this is the one and only victory of 4WD car in F1 (and incidentally the last race won by Moss in Europe), and it might stay so for long as 4WD is now banned in F1. Despite its promising beginnings this front-engined car was soon made obsolete by mid-engined cars.
In 1964 the Ferguson P99, by then fitted with a 2.5 litre Climax engine, was loaned to Peter Westbury who used it to win the British Hillclimb Championship that year.
Ferguson Research went on in racing, supplying the Novi-powered P104 to the STP team for Indianapolis.
Ferguson later supplied 4WD transmissions to various Indy and F1 teams. BRM used the Ferguson 4WD system on the P67 in 1964.
Five years after Ferguson's death, Jensen took up the idea of a 4wd road car, stretching the C-V8 by 5 in (130 mm) to create the FF (for Ferguson Formula, Ferguson's term for 4wd). It appeared in 1966. Design issues kept it from being a commercial success.
By 1969 the company was also contracted to make prototype conversions of several road cars for major manufacturers. These included a Dodge Challenger for Chrysler and Ford Granada police vehicles.
In 1969, there was a 4WD boom in F1 with the top teams of the era, Matra MS84, Lotus 63 and McLaren, building 4WD cars using the Ferguson system (Cosworth also built a 4WD car but using their own system). The 1968 seasons had seen many wet races and the constructors were searching for means to increase the grip of the cars. The 1969 British Grand Prix, saw a record number of four 4WD cars using the Ferguson system entered.
1969 also saw the introduction of wings in F1 and there was no wet race that year. All the competitors ceased developing 4WD F1 cars as wings appeared as an easier way to increase grip, with the exception of Lotus that made a last attempt with the Ferguson system on the gas turbine powered Lotus 56B in 1971. A new company called FF Developments was founded in 1971 by Rolt and continued to develop Ferguson's ideas.
The companies factory and offices were in Siskin Drive, Coventry, England.
