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Post by charleselan on Dec 27, 2021 12:35:45 GMT
Chris Amon's 1974 Amon AF1, which may, perhaps, qualify more as beast than as a beauty. The colour is nice, though ... It might also have been a bit ahead of its time, with the "up-front" position of the driver, and the gasoline tank behind him. A bit like things to come in the latter part of the '70's.
Looking at that photo of the car you have to ask yourself what the blazes was Chris Amon thinking. Apparently he felt obligated to run the car after asking Gordon Fowell to design it and John Thompson to manufacture it. It was also quite sophisticated but the team had neither the funding nor the experience to make it work. It was later revealed that Chris had several very good offers on the table with some big teams but went with his own car, yet another disastrous career choice by this truly brilliant driver. |
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Post by mikael on Dec 27, 2021 14:56:13 GMT
It's interesting to think about how several of the truly great drivers tried - perhaps - to emulate Bruce McLaren and Jack Brabham, in running their own team with their own car, and with themselves as lead driver: John Surtees/Surtees, Graham Hill/Embassy-Hill, Chris Amon/Amon, and also Arturo Merzario/Merzario (and possibly Emerson Fittipaldi, partly at least) ... Perhaps there are several more? (And perhaps it's unfair to put it the way I do, in terms of "emulating" McLaren/Brabham.)
Of course, when thinking also about ex-drivers who ran their own team (typically with more success), then the list grows considerably: Stewart, Prost, (Aguri) Suzuki, ...
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Post by Carl on Dec 27, 2021 20:47:41 GMT
Many drivers must yearn to control their own career after serving as pawns in the politics of racing, but few ever enjoy a relationship as beneficial to both sides as Stirling Moss had with Rob Walker and Jackie Stewart with Ken Tyrrell. My understanding of the extraordinary success enjoyed by Jim Clark and Colin Chapman is that Clark's personality and character brought more loyalty to the table than did Chapman. Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren were self-taught as engineers, very fast drivers and wise enough to attract the best designers to their teams.
John Surtees built excellent cars, but was often faster than his drivers and impossible to please and I believe Graham Hill was on the verge of success when tragedy ended everything. The others who tried were more hopeful and flirting with elusive success, while poor Emerson Fittipaldi was indeed his brother's keeper, although it was Wilson's uncertain intentions that kept Emerson from greater success.
The most successful transition to builder and team owner was that of unrivaled political maestro, Enzo Ferrari.
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Post by charleselan on Dec 28, 2021 14:30:13 GMT
Some interesting comments about drivers who started their own teams, but amazed to see that the best driver of them all (those that started their own team) Dan Gurney is missing.
It would have been interesting to see how Graham Hill's team would have developed as it definitely saw a big upswing in performance in 1975 with a very talented designer Andy Smallman and the precocious talent of one Tony Brise whose ability certainly took them to a new level. Sadly all were lost in that terrible plane crash.
Another who might bear mention is one Colin Chapman, he was no mean driver himself and drove an F1 car before concentrating on Team Lotus.
Others that one could mention, and I am certain to have missed some :-
Guy Ligier
Alain Prost
Eddie Jordan
Christian Horner (F3 & F3000)
Graham McRae (who sadly passed away recently)
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Post by Carl on Dec 28, 2021 18:26:19 GMT
Some interesting comments about drivers who started their own teams, but amazed to see that the best driver of them all (those that started their own team) Dan Gurney is missing. It would have been interesting to see how Graham Hill's team would have developed as it definitely saw a big upswing in performance in 1975 with a very talented designer Andy Smallman and the precocious talent of one Tony Brise whose ability certainly took them to a new level. Sadly all were lost in that terrible plane crash. Another who might bear mention is one Colin Chapman, he was no mean driver himself and drove an F1 car before concentrating on Team Lotus. Others that one could mention, and I am certain to have missed some :- Guy Ligier Alain Prost Eddie Jordan Christian Horner (F3 & F3000) Graham McRae (who sadly passed away recently) Mea culpa for not mentioning Dan Gurney. His great success was sabotaged by sponsor Goodyear, which essentially told him to concentrate on Indianapolis. And so he did, but it must have been hard to accept that, even with his own team, he remained beholden to shortsighted corporate idiocy. |
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Post by mikael on Dec 28, 2021 20:29:59 GMT
Mea culpa for not mentioning Dan Gurney.
My goodness, yes! That was quite a blunder on my part.
Sorry about that.
The 1966/1967 AAR Eagle was (is) one of the most beautiful racing cars ever made.
And then it was fast and successful on top of that.
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Post by mikael on Dec 28, 2021 22:38:35 GMT
... and it's interesting that Gurney's name didn't appear on the cars, but rather on the engines.
Interesting also that some of the GT 40's made use of Gurney's engines.
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Post by René on Dec 28, 2021 22:52:42 GMT
Interesting also that some of the GT 40's made use of Gurney's engines.
…and all cars use his flap, to this day!  |
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Post by mikael on Dec 29, 2021 20:11:17 GMT
…and all cars use his flap, to this day!
And, as we have talked about in an earlier post, the impact of the Gurney flap goes far beyond motor racing. It has been of major importance in aeronautical engineering for years, and now its impact in seen in the development of wind energy.
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Post by mikael on Jan 10, 2022 17:58:54 GMT
Lunchtime in the Ferrari pit. Who wouldn't wish to be seated at a table like this! (Note also the large group of onlookers in the background.)
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Post by mikael on Feb 26, 2022 22:50:23 GMT
From a time when Grand Prix cars weren't yet so delicate ...
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Post by René on Jun 2, 2022 19:06:23 GMT
One of the most elegant designs ever.  |
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Post by robmarsh on Jun 3, 2022 9:03:42 GMT
Beautiful car, one of the most elegant but it looked better in JPS colours to me.
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Post by chrisb on Jun 3, 2022 18:45:52 GMT
Always Rob
They really do live up to their names Black beauties
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Post by René on Jun 3, 2022 18:56:20 GMT
I agree the JPS is the most iconic one but I always liked this dark green Martini livery. Both are beautiful to my eyes.   |
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