Guide: Aston Martin AMR1
Background
During 1987, a plan was made that would return Aston Martin to top flight sports car racing for the 1989 season.
When Ford became an Aston Martin shareholder in September 1987, it was feared the project would be abandoned as Jaguar (another Ford-owned company) were already heavily invested in the sport. However, at this early stage, Ford did not interfere.
Three men were key to the proposal: former Ecurie Ecosse team manager and Aston Martin specialist, Richard Williams, racing team owner and engineer, Ray Mallock, and Greek shipping magnate, Peter Livanos who owned 25% of Aston Martin Lagonda and was also the firm’s US distributor.
Richard Williams and Ray Mallock had been deeply involved in the Aston Martin Nimrod project born at the beginning of the Group C era.
Between 1982 and 1984, the Nimrod programme (backed by Aston Martin Executive Chairman, Victor Gauntlett) most notably yielded a seventh at Le Mans (1982) and a fifth at Sebring (1983).
The waning Nimrod project was abandoned after a terrible accident at the 1984 Le Mans 24 Hours when both cars were severely damaged in the same massive accident that claimed the life of marshal, Jacky Loiseau.
Williams, Mallock and former journalist, Michael Bowler, became directors of a new company, Proteus Technology, that would manage this latest operation. A £26m six year budget was underwritten by the Livanos family and Aston Martin Racing (AMR) was born.
The new Aston Martin AMR1 would run in the white, red and blue colours of Mobil 1. Mobil 1 joined as title sponsor after their association with the Williams F1 team ended. Frank Williams had signed an engine deal with Renault for 1989 and Elf fuel / oil came as part of the package.
By 1989 the World Sportscar Championship was at the height of its popularity. Aston Martin would be up against works teams from Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota.
Having participated only at Le Mans and Fuji in 1988, the works Porsche team dropped out completely for 1989. However, 962s were still popular Group C cars for privateers and teams like Joest and Brun were often in the hunt for victory.
Engine
Although in 1989 the Jaguar team used a seven-litre normally aspirated V12 in the XJR-9 and a twin turbocharged V6 in the XJR-11, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Nissan exclusively used forced induction motors. By contrast, AMR developed a highly tuned version of the new four-valve normally aspirated V8 used by the Virage.
Going forward it was anticipated parent company Ford would supply 3.5-litre Cosworth F1 engines.
The Virage was scheduled for launch in October 1988 and, as its four valve cylinder heads had been developed by Callaway Engineering in Connecticut, Callaway were also commissioned to build the AMR1 engine.
The Virage motor was an all-alloy dual overhead camshaft 90° V8 with wet-sump lubrication and Weber-Marelli fuel-injection. It displaced 5341cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 100mm and 85mm respectively. With a compression ratio of 9.5:1, peak output was 330bhp at 6000rpm and 350lb-ft at 4000rpm.
The first Callaway Aston Martin competition engine was running in April 1988.
It retained the standard 5341cc displacement of the Virage but output rose to 550bhp at 7000rpm thanks to Zytek electronic engine management, dry-sump lubrication, increased compression and a chain-driven four cam system for the valves.
After extensive testing, a pair of six-litre versions followed in August 1988. These initially produced 600bhp at 8500rpm but, by the time of the first race (May 1989), another 70bhp had been found despite the rev limit coming down to 7500rpm in the interest of reliability.
Chassis
The AMR1 was designed by British domiciled Swede, Max Boxstrom, who had previous spells at McLaren, Brabham and more recently, Ecurie Ecosse. Boxstrom also co-founded Dymag in 1975 which became the world’s leading manufacturer of magnesium wheels for F1, Indy and Sportscars.
Boxstrom’s brief was essentially to create an F1 car with fully enveloped body.
He designed an all new Coke-bottle-shaped monocoque with a carbonfibre tub, Kevlar skins and aluminium honeycomb floors.
The engine and transaxle were tilted at the rear to enable the driveshafts to run at a 3° angle which maximised space for the underbody venturi.
Track was 1600mm up front, 1524mm at the rear and the wheelbase was 2896mm.
The independent double wishbone suspension was designed by Ray Mallock. Coil springs and dampers were fitted (inboard at the rear) along with cross-drilled and ventilated AP disc brakes.
A 50-litre fuel tank was installed in each sill.
Magnesium five spoke Dymag wheels were shod with tyres supplied by partner firm, Goodyear.
Gearbox
AMR developed a special five-speed transmission with unequal length driveshafts to allow for the underbody venturis. The custom gearbox casing was designed around Hewland VGC internals and the oil radiator was mounted directly above.
Bodywork
Cosmetically, the AMR1 was among the most handsome Group C cars on the grid.
Its nose and domed cockpit were largely derivative of the formula but the rear flanks tucked neatly inwards which improved airflow to the side-mounted radiators.
Huge NACA ducts were carved from the rear bodywork and the twin pylon rear wing was mounted on the transaxle.
Weight / Performance
Weight was initially 980kg.
A top speed of around 230mph was expected along with a 0-62mph time of comfortably under three seconds.
Production
Assembly initially took place in the Roade workshop of Ray Mallock Ltd. in Northamptonshire until the Proteus headquarters in Milton Keynes were ready.
The prototype (chassis 01) was presented to the Aston Martin Lagonda board and top Ford personnel at Newport Pagnell in October 1988.
Testing
David Leslie then completed 20 shakedown laps at Silverstone during late November. In attendance were Victor Gauntlett and fellow director Peter Livanos. A 5.3-litre version of the Aston Martin V8 engine was fitted for the initial systems tests and shakedown running.
A week later, AMR were back at Silverstone. With the six-litre engine now fitted, chassis 01 completed 97 dry laps.
After a promising series of early tests the go ahead for 1989 was given and AMR filed their entries for the World Sportscar Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours.
Work then started on chassis 02, the first AMR1 race car.
Unfortunately, soon after completion, chassis 02 was destroyed during a Donington test session in mid February. A rear hub failure pitched the car into the barriers and caused substantial damage to the monocoque.
Thankfully, David Leslie escaped unhurt, but the AMR1 programme was severely disrupted and, in the second week of March, AMR announced they would miss the opening World Sportscar Championship race at Suzuka. This meant they incurred a $250,000 fine from the FIA which had a rule that stated attendance at every round was mandatory.
The race at Suzuka was ultimately won by the Sauber-Mercedes C9/88 of Jean-Louis Schlesser and Mauro Baldi.
The AMR1 made its first public appearance at a three day Dijon test organised for World Sportscar Championship teams from May 2nd to 4th. As chassis 03 was not going to be ready until Le Mans, AMR attended with chassis 01 which was much heavier than subsequent examples.
Engine problems meant the car completed few laps over the first two days (they blew two motors) but it ran strongly on the final day which allowed all the drivers to do a stint at the wheel.
1989 Dijon 480km
Two weeks later, Dijon played host to round two of the World Sportscar Championship (May 21st).
David Leslie was partnered in the AMR1 with Brian Redman.
The 480km event took place in very hot conditions and ,while the AMR1’s 670bhp engine ran well, its high downforce chassis was not compliant enough for the bumpy Dijon circuit.
Still desperately in need of test mileage, the development car (01) qualified 24th on a grid of 36. Pole went to the Sauber-Mercedes C9/88 of Jean-Louis Schlesser / Jochen Mass with a works Toyota 88C second and another Sauber-Mercedes third.
Leslie climbed to 16th in a useful first stint but, after taking over from Redman, the Scot lost time when he ran over some debris. Then, in the final three laps, Leslie slowed right down having entered an advanced state of heat exhaustion.
The AMR1 was eventually classified 17th overall and 14th in the C1 category.
Bob Wollek and Frank Jelinski emerged as surprise winners in their Joest Racing Porsche 962C.
Boxstrom’s Departure & Move to Milton Keynes
A few days after Dijon, chief designer, Max Boxstrom, parted company with the team. The official reason was his inability to devote sufficient time to the Group C programme because of his Dymag commitments.
Then, on June 2nd, AMR officially opened their spacious new premises in Milton Keynes.
1989 Le Mans 24 Hours
A couple of days later, the team headed to Le Mans where the AMR1s appeared with a black ribbon across the left front wing as a mark of respect for ex-Aston Martin team manager, John Wyer, who had died on April 8th.
The 1989 Le Mans was a stand alone race and not part of that year’s World Sportscar Championship.
Both AMR1s struggled to find any form in qualifying; the team had not been able to do any high speed track tests with its low downforce package and were 20mph down on the leaders as a result of running too much downforce.
Two cars were taken to la Sarthe: chassis 01 (for Brian Redman / Costas Los / Michael Roe) and a brand new machine, chassis 03 (for David Leslie / David Sears / Ray Mallock).
03 missed the first part of qualifying while it was completed at the circuit; it was actually finished so late that scrutineering had to be extended.
03 weighed 940kg which was 40kg less than chassis 01. However, as the new car had not been tested, practice revealed many small problems and it qualified well down the order in 40th position.
01 qualified circumspectly in 32nd while pole went to the Sauber-Mercedes C9/88 of Jean-Louis Schlesser / Jean-Pierre Jabouille / Alain Cudini.
In the race, chassis 03 had to make an early stop as a result of a dashboard wiring fire and thereafter ran with a broken rev counter. Sears was fastest of the Aston Martin drivers but lost time in the Ford Chicane gravel when avoiding a spinning car. Inevitably, 03 was eventually over-revved which caused a bearing failure between cylinders seven and eight. This occurred at around 2:15am and Sears was left stranded out on track when lying 18th.
By contrast, chassis 01 ran at a conservative pace throughout. It was initially delayed by a broken exhaust and later some suspension damage (which required a 30 minute stop to repair a rosejoint after an early morning puncture). Nevertheless, the AMR1 kept going to finish eleventh overall and tenth in the C1 class.
Victory went to the Sauber-Mercedes of Jochen Mass / Manuel Reuter / Stanley Dickens with the sister car of Mauro Baldi / Kenny Acheson / Gianfranco Brancatelli second.
Post Le Mans Tests
Following the Le Mans outing, AMR skipped round three of the 1989 World Sportscar Championship at Jarama to focus on a series of tests at Brands Hatch, Snetterton and Donington.
Much attention was paid to the suspension: the geometry was revised, the spring rate and roll stiffness ratio improved and a rear anti-roll bar was added. These updates, along with a series of steering and aerodynamic modifications, were built into a brand new car: chassis 04.
On day two of the Brands Hatch test (during the second week of July), Michael Roe was on the way back to the pits when he was hit at Dingle Dell by the Toyota of Johnny Dumfries. The two made contact and the Toyota was launched over the top of the Aston and nearly flipped onto its roof. The Aston’s bodywork was badly damaged and valuable track time was lost before it reappeared.
1989 Brands Hatch 480km
Aston Martin then attended the Brands Hatch 480km (July 23rd) with the new car (chassis 04) for Leslie / Redman while 03 was on hand as a spare.
Having proved reliable but a little unsorted at Dijon and Le Mans, the AMR1 was now much more driveable.
At 920kg, chassis 04 was 20kg lighter than 03 and 60kg lighter than 01.
David Leslie qualified 14th and put on an excellent charge during the early stages.
Despite a long first stop (when the AMR1 got stuck behind a C2 car in a crowded pit) and an unscheduled visit to the pits to cure a ventilation problem, Leslie / Redman climbed steadily through the field to take fourth at the flag.
The pole-starting Jaguar XJR-11 of Jan Lammers / Patrick Tambay finished fifth while the Sauber-Mercedes C9/88 of Baldi / Acheson scooped another victory.
Pembrey Tests
More testing then followed at Pembrey where carbon brakes and a series of rear suspension modifications were trialled.
1989 Nurburgring 480km
The next World Sportscar Championship event (round 5) was the Nurburgring 480km on August 20th.
Once again, 04 was employed for the race (Leslie / Redman) with 03 as T-car.
Leslie had a minor off to avoid a spinning Sauber-Mercedes in Friday practice and then a misfire on Saturday compromised 04’s speed in qualifying. AMR set 21st fastest time in the afternoon session when most teams were focused on perfecting their race set up.
Despite these setbacks, Leslie and Redman kept pace with the front running Jaguars for much of race and finished a useful eighth overall.
Sauber-Mercedes took a one-two finish with Schlesser / Mass emerging victorious while the pole-starting Baldi / Acheson finished second.
1989 Donington 480km
For the first time since Le Mans, AMR entered a two car team for the next round: the Donington 480km on September 3rd.
Chassis 04 (Leslie / Roe) was joined by a new car, chassis 05 (for Redman / Sears).
At 906kg, chassis 05 was the lightest AMR1 yet. Finished on the morning of pre-qualifying, it was equipped with carbon brakes which represented a 10kg saving over steel components.
Teething troubles meant Redman and Sears started 20th in the new car while Leslie / Roe were tenth in 04. Both cars ran on special Goodyear qualifying tyres for the first time.
Pole went to the Sauber-Mercedes of Baldi / Acheson.
By the middle stint at Donington, the AMR1s had climbed impressively up the field to lie fifth (05) and sixth (04).
However, 05’s front anti-roll bar broke which led to its tyre rubbing during the final phase but Sears pressed on and, despite a slipping clutch, the car finished seventh.
Leslie / Roe took sixth while another Sauber-Mercedes win (for Schlesser / Mass) was enough for them to clinch the 1989 Teams World Championship with two races still to go.
1989 Spa 480km
The penultimate round of 1989 was the Spa 480km on September 17th.
Once again, AMR arrived with two cars: 04 for Leslie / Roe and 05 for Redman who, on this occasion, was joined by Le Mans winner, Stanley Dickens.
Both cars ran with steel brakes and experienced wet conditions for the first time on day one of qualifying. The water caused a lot of misfires and AMR spent considerable time trying to find the right wet weather balance.
The team then ran out of fuel and missed most of dry qualifying on Saturday.
Right at the end of the session, Leslie managed to put 04 13th on the grid but 05 qualified down in 32nd.
During the race, Leslie quickly established himself in the top ten. Unfortunately, after handing over to Roe their engine blew on lap 44 when lying a promising eighth. It was the AMR1’s first retirement of the 1989 World Sportscar Championship.
Meanwhile, Dickens had made a great start in chassis 05 and was soon up to 18th position. Despite suffering from understeer (a result of the guessed dry set up), he and Redman made steady progress throughout. Dickens survived a late spin and 05 finished seventh as it had at Donington.
Pole starters Baldi and Acheson were the winners for Sauber-Mercedes.
Donington Tests - 6.3 Version 2 Engine
Before heading to Mexico City for the World Sportscar Championship finale, AMR were back at Donington in mid October to test their new 6.3-litre Version 2 engine in chassis 05.
As well as an extra 300cc, the Version 2 motor featured re-mapped Zytek engine management, improved cylinder head porting, lighter camshafts and a new oil scavenge arrangement. It produced 740bhp with lower frictional losses and better fuel economy.
1989 Mexico City 480km
Chassis 05 was the sole AMR1 representative at the Circuit Hermano Rodriguez on October 29th. The car proved a handful over the bumpy surface in practice (both Leslie and Redman span) but, after much work, they eventually found a good balance.
05 qualified 14th and ran twelfth in the early stages, but a lack of straight line speed hampered progress. They nevertheless gained a few positions as other cars retired and ultimately settled for an eighth place finish to close out the season.
The pole-starting Sauber-Mercedes of Acheson / Baldi crashed out but team-mates Schlesser and Mass scooped yet another win for the Silver Arrows.
Aston Martin ended sixth in the Team standings.
Close Season
Over the winter of 1989-1990, the AMR1 was substantially reworked to overcome its flawed aerodynamics. Revised engines were supplied by Callaway and it was predicted F1 designer, Tony Southgate, would soon be on board.
In mid 1989 Ford had promised to supply a re-badged and suitably modified version of the Cosworth F1 engine as used by Benetton. This would be vital for the future as a new 3.5-litre engine formula was to become mandatory from 1992.
Ford Pulls the Plug
However, just before Christmas, Aston executives realised the engine wasn’t coming.
Although Aston’s racing programme was underwritten by Gauntlett and Livanos, Ford (who now owned 75% of the company) were unhappy about competing in the same championship as Jaguar.
In late January, Ford flexed their muscle and it was announced that Aston Martin’s promising sportscar programme had been cancelled.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Aston Martin - https://www.astonmartin.com
