With sideburns large even by the standards of the day, Reine Wisell was a direct contemporary of Ronnie Peterson, a smooth driver in contrast to Peterson's more wild approach. His chance in F1 came when he was offered a drive by Lotus for the final two races of 1970 and he immediately made headlines with a third-place finish on debut at Watkins Glen, securing a contract for the following year. But Lotus struggled that year, and although he won the non-championship Pau GP he was released. His replacement, Dave Walker, failed to impress and Wisell was recalled for the last two grands prix with no success. He had also had drives for the rather chaotic BRM outfit earlier in the season. In 1973 he drove in the inaugural Swedish GP in a rented March 731 and then the French GP, and his final outing came at the 1974 Swedish GP where he was forced to retire with suspension failure. He moved into saloon and sports cars but did not enjoy much success and he drifted out of the sport. In the 1980s he made some impact in the field of economy runs.
Martin Williamson