VIN: the works Aston Martin AMR1 chassis 05
History of chassis AMR1/05
Chassis 05 was the last and lightest AMR1 built.
It was completed on the morning of pre-qualifying for the Donington 480km which was round six of the 1989 World Sportscar Championship.
Teething troubles for the brand new car meant Brian Redman and David Sears only qualified 20th while the more sorted older chassis in the hands of David Leslie / Michael Roe started tenth.
By the mid-point of the race, Redman / Sears had moved chassis 05 into fifth. However, the car’s front anti-roll bar subsequently broke which led to some tyre rubbing during the final phase. Nevertheless, Sears pressed on and, despite a slipping clutch, the car finished seventh.
Leslie / Roe took sixth in the sister car (04).
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.
The Astons ran in wet conditions for the first time on day one of qualifying and the water caused a lot of misfires. The team also spent considerable time trying to find the right wet weather balance. Unfortunately, an oversight meant they nearly ran out of fuel and missed most of dry qualifying on Saturday.
Chassis 04 started 13th on the grid but 05 qualified down in 32nd.
During the race, chassis 04’s 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.
Before heading to Mexico City for the World Sportscar Championship finale, Aston Martin went to 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.
Chassis 05 was the sole AMR1 taken to the Circuit Hermano Rodriguez. 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 managed to gain a few positions as other cars retired and ultimately settled for an eighth place finish to close out the season.
Having steadily improved during their debut year, Aston Martin Racing went into 1990 with an optimistic outlook.
However, Ford (who now owned 75% of the company) were not happy with Aston Martin competing against Jaguar (another of their subsidiaries).
Ford pulled the plug and Aston Martin’s Group C programme was abandoned.
Notable History
Aston Martin Racing
White, blue and red Mobil 1 livery
03/09/1989 WSC Donington 480km (B. Redman / D. Sears) 7th oa, 7th C1 class (#18)
17/09/1989 WSC Spa 480km (B. Redman / S. Dickens) 7th oa, 7th C1 class (#18)
29/10/1989 WSC Hermanos Rodriguez 480km (B. Redman / D. Leslie) 8th oa, 8th C1 class (#18)
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Aston Martin - https://www.astonmartin.com
