Before the '79 season, the last single-seater built by the Ensign team dates back to 1977 and was the N177 and also raced by Morris Nunn's team in 1978. With the rise of ground-effect cars, the need for a completely new design became a priority. To assist technical director Dave Baldwin, designer Shahab Ahmed was brought in.
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| ENSIGN N179, Derek Daly Kyalami, South African GP 1979 |
However, the two engineers had a rather unique interpretation of modern aerodynamic theories, which resulted in the new Ensign N179, a classic wing car that still relied heavily on the mechanical components and solutions of the N177. It retained the Ford Cosworth-Hewland combination for the engine and transmission, while the suspension remained unchanged from the previous car. The aluminum monocoque chassis was redesigned from scratch, along with the cooling system, which featured an unusually placed radiator setup.
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| ENSIGN N179, Derek Daly Kyalami, South African GP 1979 |
Aiming to "go back to the past," they revived the radiator placement seen in 1950s and 1960s cars, hoping to maximize surface area for better engine power utilization through improved temperature control. This led to an exposed front-mounted radiator. Unfortunately, while this idea seemed brilliant on paper, it turned out to be completely inappropriate. It had little effect on the Ford V8’s performance, while the driver was left struggling in a cockpit that reached extremely high temperatures.
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| ENSIGN N179B, Derek Daly Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1979 |
After just a few outings, the cooling system was redesigned, and the radiators were moved to the car’s long side pods. This updated version was named the N179B. For the 1979 season, Nunn’s team fielded a single car, initially entrusted to Irish driver Derek Daly, who was later replaced from the eighth race onward by Frenchman Patrick Gaillard. In the final three races, Swiss driver Marc Surer took the wheel.
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| ENSIGN N179B, Patrick Gaillard Silverstone, British GP 1979 |
The uncompetitive N179 failed to deliver any notable performances, and none of the three drivers managed to achieve results. In fact, the car only made it to the finish line once, at the British Grand Prix, while in all other races, it either retired or failed to qualify. As a result, the Ensign team finished last in the standings, ahead only of the small private teams Merzario, Rebaque, and Kauhsen, which only participated in a handful of races.
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