Post by Srrh on Jun 17, 2003 12:40:14 GMT -5
Check this out boyz and girlz:
In late 1986 Gustav Brunner designed a Ferrari chassis to house a brand new 2.65 litre V8 turbo Ferrari engine - built to CART regulations - and the press was invited to inspect. Most journalists came away impressed; the engine held some unusual features including upward mounted exhausts, and it made the new 1.5 litre turbo V6 Formula One engine, displayed at the same time, look a little plain.
In Autosport on-line, Nigel Roebuck answered the question "After reading Luca di Montezemolo's comments regarding the rule proposals for next year, I was reminded of Ferrari's threat to pull out of F1 in the 1980s. What precipitated that threat? And what do you know about the Indycar built by Ferrari? Did it ever run?"
His response:"By coincidence, I've written about this very thing in 'Fifth Column' this week. Yes, the Ferrari Indycar did run - but only at the team's Fiorano test track. It never raced. Here's how it came to be.
The story began in 1985, when Enzo Ferrari was still alive, albeit very old and frail. At the time we were in the midst of the turbo era, but coming - for 1989 - was a new Formula 1, for 3.5-litre normally-aspirated engines. That was fine with the Old Man - until it was proposed that these new generation F1 motors should be restricted to eight cylinders. That he didn't go for at all, for his plan was to build a V12. If there were to be a limit on eight cylinders, he said, he would abandon F1, and go into CART.
If it were a ruse, you'd have to say it was a mighty expensive and elaborate one. Ferrari made contact with Truesports, one of the leading CART teams of the time, who sent one of their Marches over to Maranello, where it was examined in minute detail, and its turbo Cosworth V8 put on the dyno. Gustav Brunner was hired to design the Ferrari Indycar, and the project continued through 1986. The plan was that Truesports would race the car in '87, with Bobby Rahal as the driver.
When the car, designated the type 637, appeared, it was tested at Fiorano by Michele Alboreto (then a member of the F1 team), but Rahal never actually got to drive it, for the project was dropped - as soon as Enzo knew he'd got his way on 12-cylinder engines in F1!
In point of fact, the car would almost certainly not have been competitive. Its V8 turbo engine - now re-badged as an Alfa Romeo – did ultimately make it into CART racing (with Pat Patrick's team, from 1989 to 1991), but it was around 100 horsepower down on the best engines, and not conspicuously reliable, either."
Alfa's were used by Johnny Capels Racing in 1989 before going to Pattrick Racing in 1990 The 1990 Alfa's really bring back memories to me. I saw them hanging around at Indy in 1990 and they were the approval of the fact that if something doesn't look right, it ain't right. In a number of details the older Lola's of '87-'89 looked better and well thought over.Unbelievable that this design was approved for use. The March-Alfa looked as wrong as the March-Porsche looked promising and innovative.
Interesting story: When Pattrick got the Factory Alfa deal, (and had lost his inventory of Penske-Chevy's) to partner Chip Ganassi, he first send two Chevy engines to Italy to permit Alfa engineers to have a look at the then dominant engine. This act made Ilmor\Chevy introduce the lease contracts instead of teams buying their engines to make sure that something like that couldn't happen again anymore.
When two years later Patrick lost the Alfa's because they quitted the CART scene and Pattrick had contracted Bobby Rahal (!) to drive his car and wanted to lease Chevy engines: He was shown the door because of the act of two years before when he send Chevy's to Italy! To enable Rahal to race he then sold his team to Bobby, Bobby inquired about the availability of Chevy engines for him and got them instantly!
Hey...I know what the evil red one should be doing next year...
S.
In late 1986 Gustav Brunner designed a Ferrari chassis to house a brand new 2.65 litre V8 turbo Ferrari engine - built to CART regulations - and the press was invited to inspect. Most journalists came away impressed; the engine held some unusual features including upward mounted exhausts, and it made the new 1.5 litre turbo V6 Formula One engine, displayed at the same time, look a little plain.
In Autosport on-line, Nigel Roebuck answered the question "After reading Luca di Montezemolo's comments regarding the rule proposals for next year, I was reminded of Ferrari's threat to pull out of F1 in the 1980s. What precipitated that threat? And what do you know about the Indycar built by Ferrari? Did it ever run?"
His response:"By coincidence, I've written about this very thing in 'Fifth Column' this week. Yes, the Ferrari Indycar did run - but only at the team's Fiorano test track. It never raced. Here's how it came to be.
The story began in 1985, when Enzo Ferrari was still alive, albeit very old and frail. At the time we were in the midst of the turbo era, but coming - for 1989 - was a new Formula 1, for 3.5-litre normally-aspirated engines. That was fine with the Old Man - until it was proposed that these new generation F1 motors should be restricted to eight cylinders. That he didn't go for at all, for his plan was to build a V12. If there were to be a limit on eight cylinders, he said, he would abandon F1, and go into CART.
If it were a ruse, you'd have to say it was a mighty expensive and elaborate one. Ferrari made contact with Truesports, one of the leading CART teams of the time, who sent one of their Marches over to Maranello, where it was examined in minute detail, and its turbo Cosworth V8 put on the dyno. Gustav Brunner was hired to design the Ferrari Indycar, and the project continued through 1986. The plan was that Truesports would race the car in '87, with Bobby Rahal as the driver.
When the car, designated the type 637, appeared, it was tested at Fiorano by Michele Alboreto (then a member of the F1 team), but Rahal never actually got to drive it, for the project was dropped - as soon as Enzo knew he'd got his way on 12-cylinder engines in F1!
In point of fact, the car would almost certainly not have been competitive. Its V8 turbo engine - now re-badged as an Alfa Romeo – did ultimately make it into CART racing (with Pat Patrick's team, from 1989 to 1991), but it was around 100 horsepower down on the best engines, and not conspicuously reliable, either."
Alfa's were used by Johnny Capels Racing in 1989 before going to Pattrick Racing in 1990 The 1990 Alfa's really bring back memories to me. I saw them hanging around at Indy in 1990 and they were the approval of the fact that if something doesn't look right, it ain't right. In a number of details the older Lola's of '87-'89 looked better and well thought over.Unbelievable that this design was approved for use. The March-Alfa looked as wrong as the March-Porsche looked promising and innovative.
Interesting story: When Pattrick got the Factory Alfa deal, (and had lost his inventory of Penske-Chevy's) to partner Chip Ganassi, he first send two Chevy engines to Italy to permit Alfa engineers to have a look at the then dominant engine. This act made Ilmor\Chevy introduce the lease contracts instead of teams buying their engines to make sure that something like that couldn't happen again anymore.
When two years later Patrick lost the Alfa's because they quitted the CART scene and Pattrick had contracted Bobby Rahal (!) to drive his car and wanted to lease Chevy engines: He was shown the door because of the act of two years before when he send Chevy's to Italy! To enable Rahal to race he then sold his team to Bobby, Bobby inquired about the availability of Chevy engines for him and got them instantly!
Hey...I know what the evil red one should be doing next year...
S.
Don't Die Before You Live...
