The Brabham BT26 was designed for the 1968 racing season. The concept proved to be quite disappointing, with the Repco engine designed by John Judd and Norman Wilson proving very unreliable. The car was longer than the BT24, the tracks were wider and the tires were bigger. The BT26 was the last F.1 Brabham to have a tubular chassis. Gradually, the BT26 received updates, including particular aerodynamic appendages, without the results improving. For 1969 the chassis was modified to accommodate the Ford Cosworth DFV engines: the first car was purchased by Frank Williams while the official team used three other chassis. Jack Brabham achieved a first victory at the International Trophy, while Ickx won in Germany and Canada. In that year Brabham ranked second in the constructors' championship.
Jack Brabham's 1968 season, driving the Repco V8-powered BT26, was marked by a long series of retirements caused by the weakness of the engine. In Monaco, however, Brabham had to retire due to rear suspension failure; in qualifying he recorded the 12th time.
In the history of static modeling, Spark has truly revolutionized the market. The brand was created by Hugues Ripert, whose father André had been one of the main contenders of the artisanal modeling scene in the 70s and 80s. After working for Vitesse, Quartzo and Ixo, Ripert jr did not choose the diecast technique but opted for resin, with production in China but development and conception strictly in the European tradition. In practice the idea was to offer special models built in small series (what were later called "resincast"). The first Sparks were released in 2000, with a quality-price ratio unapproachable for most industrial and artisanal producers. Today Spark continues to churn out dozens of new products a year, having also expanded its production to other scales, such as 1:18 but also 1:64. There are numerous numbered and limited series for the various national distributors and for private customers such as teams, sponsors, drivers and so on.