| Author | Message | ||
| Jack Habits (Ferraristuff)
Member Username: Ferraristuff Post Number: 451 Registered: 4-2003 |
Wayne, I have some more! Coming soon to a Fchat theater near you... ;-) Jack | ||
| L. Wayne Ausbrooks (Lwausbrooks)
Intermediate Member Username: Lwausbrooks Post Number: 1613 Registered: 8-2002 |
Damn! I didn't see this thread until now. I love a good mystery! | ||
| Jack Habits (Ferraristuff)
Member Username: Ferraristuff Post Number: 434 Registered: 4-2003 |
And of course my thanks to all who contributed to solving this mystery, Bob, Ross, Jon & Andreas. Thanks ! Jack | ||
| Jack Habits (Ferraristuff)
Member Username: Ferraristuff Post Number: 433 Registered: 4-2003 |
Very funny to see how what started out as some kind of Ferrari V8 Turbo project car at Fiorano in my mind turns out to be a qualifying session at Interlagos with an ill-fated W12.... Jack | ||
| Andreas Forrer (Tifosi12)
Member Username: Tifosi12 Post Number: 875 Registered: 10-2002 |
This could be Interlagos. Minor teams sometimes deliberately leave the engine cover off to get some extra cooling. Was relatively normal in the seventies and sometimes eighties. Would fit the puzzle of this being Minardi with a low budget. | ||
| Jack Habits (Ferraristuff)
Member Username: Ferraristuff Post Number: 432 Registered: 4-2003 |
This is the full-size scan of the "double" picture. Maybe it isn't Fiorano as I thought? Gary Brabham tried to qualify the car only twice, GP of the US and GP of Brazil. USA was held at Phoenix and this doesn't look like Phoenix to me... Brazil was held at Interlagos and it MIGHT be the pit exit and the picture was taken at the very moment that Mansell passed by in the background? The second picture (with the bodywork missing) could be from the same sessions and that the car simply lost it during its run? I initially thought it was intentional to show the engine to the press. Jack  | ||
| Jack Habits (Ferraristuff)
Member Username: Ferraristuff Post Number: 431 Registered: 4-2003 |
Yup! That's it! Stupid me didn't do a search for "Life". Just found these on the web:    And indeed, that is Gary Brabham at the wheel. So the only question mark left is "what is that car doing at Fiorano together with the F1-90 of Mansell". Or... Isn't it Fiorano maybe? Jack | ||
| bob snow (Resnow)
Junior Member Username: Resnow Post Number: 82 Registered: 5-2001 |
Just found this at http://www.geocities.com/minardifan2/Life.htm  | ||
| bob snow (Resnow)
Junior Member Username: Resnow Post Number: 81 Registered: 5-2001 |
Any clues in the following? Certainly some coincidences. "Life Racing Engines was established in 1989 by Italian businessman Ernesto Vita, who agreed to finance the design and construction of a W12 engine by former Ferrari engine designer Franco Rocchi. A base was established in Reggio Emilia, Italy. "The team bought the First F1 car, which had been designed by Richard Divila for Lamberto Leoni's planned F1 team. Designer Gianni Marelli modified the First to take the W12 engine. "The team signed a two-year deal with Australian driver Gary Brabham, son of Sir Jack, but he quit the team after just two races, saying that the operation was a complete shambles. The team managed to convince Bruno Giacomelli to take over but there was little improvement and Giacomelli failed to qualify 12 times, despite the team switching from the Life W12 to a Judd V8 for the last two races. "In the summer Vita sold the majority shareholding in the team to a Verona industrialist Daniele Battaglino following the announcement of a deal to supply racing cars to a Leningrad-based engineering company. "The team disappeared at the end of the European season and was never heard of again." | ||
| Jack Habits (Ferraristuff)
Member Username: Ferraristuff Post Number: 430 Registered: 4-2003 |
Thanks Bob, that clearly rules out the Indy option. Jack | ||
| Jack Habits (Ferraristuff)
Member Username: Ferraristuff Post Number: 429 Registered: 4-2003 |
I've been digging a little deeper and scanning some more. This is the sharpest image that I can scan of the car in the background:  Comparing it to this one which is confirmed Nigel Mansell in the 1990 F1-90:  I think that no other conclusion is possible but that it is the the same car and driver. That would date the photos to 1990, probably early 1990. I am still struggling with the "indy" car though... I agree with the high downforce trim remark of Jon but it could have been done just for the presentation as Fiorano IS a twisty track and they probably didn't want to look like fools with this car sliding all over the place with no downforce. This is the sharpest image I can make of the engine of the car:  Clearly 4 cylinders on the RH bank, making it a V8 (assuming that there is a similar cylinder bank on the other side of course). Also, note the large diameter black tubes that can be seen coming from the rear and go inbetween the airbox(es). For me a sign that it is a turbo engine which would rule out F3000 and would kinda of confirm the Indy story but then the timing (1990 vs. 1987) is off again.... Also note the "LiFe" marking on the valve cover, which is repeated on the roll hoop cover in the other picture. "LIght FErrari"? I'm still puzzled as I don't know (doesn't say a whole lot of course) of any Ferrari V8 Turbo projects in such a chassis in that era. Jack | ||
| bob snow (Resnow)
Junior Member Username: Resnow Post Number: 80 Registered: 5-2001 |
Another angle . . .  | ||
| bob snow (Resnow)
Junior Member Username: Resnow Post Number: 79 Registered: 5-2001 |
Here is the Indy prototype at Galleria Ferrari (cxenter).  | ||
| Jon P. Kofod (95f355c)
Member Username: 95f355c Post Number: 624 Registered: 8-2001 |
Car in the background has to be Mansell. That car also has the Marlboro decal so it's an F1 car. However the other car does not look anything like an Indy/CART car from that era. It appears to be running in "high" downforce trim something that wouldn't be used at Indy and looks way to much like an F1 car. Could it be an F3000 car? The only Ferrari sponsors on the car are Agip and Good Year tires. I know Agip was a sponsor of F3000 for a while but I am don't think Good Years were ever used in F3000. Where's Wayne when we need him! Regards, Jon P. Kofod 1995 F355 Challenge #23 | ||
| Andreas Forrer (Tifosi12)
Member Username: Tifosi12 Post Number: 870 Registered: 10-2002 |
No idea what these cars are or who is driving them, but the one in the background sure looks like Mansell in the 642 in 1991/2. | ||
| Jack Habits (Ferraristuff)
Member Username: Ferraristuff Post Number: 428 Registered: 4-2003 |
Ross, I hadn't even noticed it was a kangaroo... Just thought it was some kind of white "style thing". I did a search for David Brabhams helmet design and this is what came up:  So that's not him I think... Jack | ||
| ross koller (Ross)
Intermediate Member Username: Ross Post Number: 1163 Registered: 3-2002 |
dunno, but the blue helmet has a kangaroo on it so one would presume it was being worn by an australian....could it be david brabham? | ||
| Jack Habits (Ferraristuff)
Member Username: Ferraristuff Post Number: 425 Registered: 4-2003 |
Hi all, a couple of years ago I bought a photo album and there are two photos in it of which I can not positively identify the cars. As far as I can figure out, the car that is in both photos is the "Ferrari Formula Indy" with V8 turbo engine. The valve cover reads "LiFe". Correct? Remain the questions "who are driving the cars?". I don't know any better than that the car was presented to the press at Fiorano in March 1987 but the car in the background carries race # 2 and the helmet LOOKS like that of Nigel Mansell... BUT... in 1987 Mansell was still with Williams. The only year that Mansell drove a Ferrari AND carried # 2, was 1990 when the Indy "adventure" was long burried by Ferrari. In 1987 race # 2 was for Stefan Johansson in the Mclaren. Also, I could not figure out who is driving the Indy car. Tried to enlage the picture to read what's on the car but it's too blurry to make out. If I am not mistaken, the Indy car was driven by the late Michele Alborete during the 1987 press presentation but that is NOT Michele's "regular" helmet design. Who can put an end to this mystery? Jack Please note that I cropped the pictures to bring out more detail on the cars.   |