It's a far cry from the situation Frank Williams found himself in throughout the seventies when money was scarce, at one stage, so much so that he was forced to run his business from a phone box. After a failed partnership with Canadian billionaire Walter Wolf, Williams and his designer, Patrick Head, knew they needed a new approach. In 1978 they headed East in search of Saudi Arabian investment. The trip was a massive success as significant long term backing was secured from Saudi Airlines, TAG and the Albilad Hotel Group. The latter was then owned by one Mohammed bin Laden.
The investment finally gave Patrick Head the freedom to design without compromise. The result was the beautifully simple lines of the Williams FW07, in which Clay Regazzoni gave the team its maiden victory at Silverstone. During that season, the car ran with a variety of Saudi based sponsors, including that of the Middle East's largest construction company, the bin Laden Group.
The family are still involved in racing today across the Middle East, competing in Porsche Cup, GT and Radical racing with a fair degree of success.
