 The car was initially conceived in 1965 for a 1 @.@ 5 @-@ litre ( 92 @-@ cubic inch ) Coventry Climax engine , but never raced in this form . For the 1966 Formula One season the Fédération Internationale de l 'Automobile ( FIA ) doubled the limit on engine capacity to 3 litres ( 183 cu in ) . Australian company Repco developed a new V8 engine for Brabham 's use in 1966 , but a disagreement between Brabham and Tauranac over the latter 's role in the racing team left no time to develop a new car to handle it . Instead , the existing BT19 chassis was modified for the job . 
