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In 1990, Subaru produced a Formula 1 engine and bolted it to the back of a Coloni chassis.
Subaru invested in Enzo Coloni's small F1 team. The Japanese car manufacturer then asked former Ferrari engine man Carlo Chiti, also the father of the Alfa Romeo F1 engine in the '70s and '80s, to design and build the motor.
Chiti produced a low centre of gravity, 60-valve, flat-12 engine called the “1235.” It is said that not only was the engine overweight, but the Coloni gearbox was not a prime example of lightness. The complete assembly is said to be 112kg overweight!
The Coloni C3B was to be driven by Belgian driver, Bertrand Gachot. The car completed a quick shakedown and was shipped to Phoenix, Arizona for the opening race of the 1990 season.
As most onlookers expected, the car did not complete one single lap in Phoenix. The engine was started, but Gachot stopped at the pit exit when the gear-change linkage broke (I was there!). His first run lasted about 250 metres!
At the following race in Brazil, the C3B ran a few laps, but was 10 seconds off the pace to be able to prequalify, and 17 seconds slower than the pole time set by Ayrton Senna!
In the streets of Monaco, Gachot was 18 seconds off the pace. In Montreal, he was 24 seconds down from the pole time. In France, Gachot took 14 minutes and two seconds to complete one lap of the Paul Ricard circuit!
It was clear that the underfinanced Coloni-Subaru F1 car was never going to be remotely near the prequalifying pace and, indeed, poor Gachot never managed to make it past Friday morning in the first half of the year.
Political tensions inside the team and a lack of sponsorship money led Subaru to cease its involvement. From the German Grand Prix onwards, Enzo Coloni was back in full control of the team, and reverted to a Ford DFR V8 engine prepared by Langford & Peck.
That was it for Subaru's time in Formula 1.
Subaru invested in Enzo Coloni's small F1 team. The Japanese car manufacturer then asked former Ferrari engine man Carlo Chiti, also the father of the Alfa Romeo F1 engine in the '70s and '80s, to design and build the motor.
Chiti produced a low centre of gravity, 60-valve, flat-12 engine called the “1235.” It is said that not only was the engine overweight, but the Coloni gearbox was not a prime example of lightness. The complete assembly is said to be 112kg overweight!
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| Carlo Chiti and the Subaru flat 12 engine. (Photo: Archives Auto123.com) |
The Coloni C3B was to be driven by Belgian driver, Bertrand Gachot. The car completed a quick shakedown and was shipped to Phoenix, Arizona for the opening race of the 1990 season.
As most onlookers expected, the car did not complete one single lap in Phoenix. The engine was started, but Gachot stopped at the pit exit when the gear-change linkage broke (I was there!). His first run lasted about 250 metres!
At the following race in Brazil, the C3B ran a few laps, but was 10 seconds off the pace to be able to prequalify, and 17 seconds slower than the pole time set by Ayrton Senna!
In the streets of Monaco, Gachot was 18 seconds off the pace. In Montreal, he was 24 seconds down from the pole time. In France, Gachot took 14 minutes and two seconds to complete one lap of the Paul Ricard circuit!
It was clear that the underfinanced Coloni-Subaru F1 car was never going to be remotely near the prequalifying pace and, indeed, poor Gachot never managed to make it past Friday morning in the first half of the year.
Political tensions inside the team and a lack of sponsorship money led Subaru to cease its involvement. From the German Grand Prix onwards, Enzo Coloni was back in full control of the team, and reverted to a Ford DFR V8 engine prepared by Langford & Peck.
That was it for Subaru's time in Formula 1.