Reine Wisell was one of handful of ‘Super-Swedes’ who arrived in Europe during the late 1960s to race in the highly competitive Formula 3 championships. The most famous of these was Ronnie Peterson but his friend and compatriot, Reine Wisell proved he could be his equal but his eventual rise in to Formula 1 would not result in the same level of success.
Beginning in Swedish saloon car racing, Reine progressed to Formula 3 in 1967 and claimed a handful of wins. The following year, he and Ronnie Peterson both acquired a Techno F3 and dominated the Swedish championship, Ronnie winning the title with 12 victories to Reine’s 11. Their friendly rivalry continued the following season with Ronnie continuing with a Vick sponsored Techno while Reine accepted an offer from Chevron Cars to drive its Chevron B8 sportscar and B15 F3 car. Both drivers established their credentials at the 1969 Monaco Formula 3 race and demonstrated their skills as they left all their rivals in their wake in a display of on the limit driving that was talked about for years. Reine followed Ronnie’s Techno, never less than a few metres behind until a fading brake pedal resulted in a brief trip down a slip-road but both drivers finished well ahead of the field. An invitation followed to drive Jo Bonnier’s Lola T70 in South Africa at the end of the year but Reine still had ambitions to race single-seaters. Bruce McLaren invited him to experience a proper Formula 1 car when he raced at the non-championship Daily Express Trophy race at Silverstone. Although he was given an out-dated McLaren M6 he managed to finish fifth overall in the two-part race. This led to an offer to race a McLaren M10B in Formula 5000 with the Sid Taylor team where he recorded several victories, most notably a wheel-to-wheel battle with Frank Gardner’s Lola. This race led to an offer from Lotus to drive the 72C at Watkins Glen where, in his first grand prix, he finished third. A contract was signed for the 1971 season but tyre problems saw the team struggle and results were disappointing. He was also asked to race the unlovely Lotus 56B turbine car on two occasions which did little to promote his career. The highlight would be a victory driving for Lotus in a Formula 2 race at Pau. Reine was replaced for 1972 by Dave Walker but his results proved inferior so Reine was brought back for the final few grand prix. However, Colin Chapman had been watching the exploits of Reine’s friend Ronnie Peterson who was offered the seat for 1973 alongside Mario Andretti. Reine had spent the 1972 season struggling with the BRM grand prix car which hardly helped his cause and his career was reduced to an occasional F1 drive but he moved to sports cars and Le Mans events with a Gulf-Mirage GR7 and in 1974 he raced a Porsche 911 RSR, later sharing a Chevrolet Camaro with Stuart Graham in the European Touring Car championship. He continued to compete in a variety of formulas for several years and developed a passion for economy runs, winning numerous awards.
The photograph shows Reine driving a Gold Leaf Team Lotus 72C during the 1971 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch, accelerating along the long straight on the grand prix circuit heading towards Pilgrims Drop and Hawthorn Bend. He qualified in eighth position on the grid but had to retire seven laps from the end due to engine problems. This was an era of grooved tyres and an impressive ride height!
From ‘Moments in Motorsport’ by Trevor Legate.
