 The 620 engine was light for its time , weighing around 340 lb ( 154 kg ) , compared to 500 lb ( 227 kg ) for the Maserati V12 , but in 3 litre Formula One form only produced around 300 brake horsepower ( 220 kW ) at under 8000 revolutions per minute ( rpm ) , compared to 330 – 360 bhp ( 250 – 270 kW ) produced by the Ferrari and Maserati V12s . However , it produced high levels of torque over a wide range of engine speeds from 3500 rpm up to peak torque of 233 pound feet ( 316 N · m ) at 6500 rpm . Installed in the lightweight BT19 chassis , it was also relatively fuel efficient ; on the car 's debut Brabham reported that the BT19 achieved 7 miles per gallon ( 40 L / 100 km ) , against figures of around 4 mpg ( 70 L / 100 km ) for its " more exotic rivals " . This meant that it could start a Grand Prix with only 35 gallons ( 160 L ) of fuel on board , compared to around 55 gallons ( 250 L ) for the Cooper T81 @-@ Maseratis . The engine had one further advantage over bespoke racing engines : parts were cheap . For example , the engine blocks were available for GB £ 11 each and the connecting rods cost £ 7 each . 
