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F3000 'Space Racing' anyone heard of this?

Started by aerogi , Oct 25 2005 06:20

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18 replies to this topic

#1 aerogi

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 06:20

In Auto Hebdo magazine n° 617 (March 23, 1988) following pictures appeared:

Posted Image

from what I understand from the article, they build the car from scratch, a pretty innovative design, but at this point (february 1988) this small group of enthousiastic engineers ran out of money to continue with the project. The chassis is practically finished, but they don't have the money for the engine. The engine apparently is a 'dummy' or 'model' engine... I'll re-read the article to see if there are certain details I missed.

Does know if this car actually did run, or if the whole project was abandoned because of lack of funds?

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#2 eldougo

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 08:54

Good clean lines and good looking car,It reminds me of a Ferrari 640 and a IRL car.I wish i had info on it ,however sadly my guess is it did not ever see a racetrack.

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#3 petefenelon

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 11:35

Looks like a very nice piece of kit - much better-looking car than the '88 Lola, March or Reynard. However a pretty body can mask a multitude of sins...

A few things about the car make me wonder if it didn't originally have another use in mind. Look at the coke-bottle sidepods, and in the top colour shot, the suggestion of a venturi profile, although the packaging of the rads doesn't look ground-effect-y with side exits (the Mosquito doesn't fly?;)) The long low look and well-faired-in transmission is very Champcar, and the car's carrying a lot more bodywork than contemporary F3000s had....

I'm not sure the driver's feet would be in a legal position, did the rule about them being behind the wheel centreline apply in F3000 as well from '88?

Whatever its origins were, it's a very interesting car - looks very well-conceived for a 'special', and I'd love to hear more about it.

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#4 Mallory Dan

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 13:03

Who or what was 'Space Racing'? Any connection to the early 70s Bob Sparshott/John Woodington team that ran Marches in the early days ?

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#5 aerogi

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 13:25

What I'll do is the following, I'll scan the whole article later today (2 pages). Altough I do understand French, I am having difficulties to understand the whole article, they are referring to something happened in june 1987, I guess some kind of contest, but I am not sure. Then maybe a French speaking member can translate the major parts, because this whole story intrigues me quite a lot.

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#6 KWSN - DSM

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 14:02

I think I have seen this car (possibly asme picture) in an English language magazine. Could have been Autosport, Autocar or one more that I don't remember the name of.

Anyone have Autosport from early 1988 lying around, take a look. I think there will be a small article / notice.

:cool:

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#7 f1steveuk

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 15:18

Just an observation, but the right hand black and white picture seems to show a quick filler for the fuel tank, and it does look very very champ car to me

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#8 fausto

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 18:07

Fritz Wagner, from Germany, built an (unraced) F.3000, could it be this one?

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#9 aerogi

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 18:50

I remember that one, but that car was from 1985/1986. I have a pic somewhere in an Autosport magazine from that period. But now that you mention it, it looks a bit similar though.

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#10 MODE

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 21:33

If I remember, because of lack of money they never raced and even tested the car, it was a french team.

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#11 petefenelon

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 21:50

Originally posted by aerogi
I remember that one, but that car was from 1985/1986. I have a pic somewhere in an Autosport magazine from that period. But now that you mention it, it looks a bit similar though.

The Wagner's been "done" on TNF before - it was similar too but even longer and skinnier than the Space car, and featured a BMW straight six. It was later rebuilt into an Interserie car, seemingly by just dropping a crude sports car body over the top of it, because most of the original nose poked out!

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#12 Bonde

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 22:18

Steve,

I think what may appear to be fuel quick-filler necks are actually the exhaust primaries.

Although I like the low, lean shape of the car (disregarding the tall sidepods for a minute), what I can see of the front of the chassis appears quite 'flimsy' to me. It appears to be made mostly from a single skin of 1/2" aluminium honecomb sandwich and with no panelling over the driver's feet at all, at a time when everyone else was going for fully 'closed' carbon composite tubs. Makes me wonder if it actually complied with the safety regs of the time?

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#13 petefenelon

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 22:28

Originally posted by Bonde

...what I can see of the front of the chassis appears quite 'flimsy' to me. It appears to be made mostly from a single skin of 1/2" aluminium honecomb sandwich and with no panelling over the driver's feet at all, at a time when everyone else was going for fully 'closed' carbon composite tubs. Makes me wonder if it actually complied with the safety regs of the time?

The honeycomb front to the tub is another thing that made me think of
possible CART ancestry - after all, all-carbon tubs were banned until
some point in the early 90s...

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#14 KWSN - DSM

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 22:39

Anyone ercognise the people in the picture?? That could be a way to find more details. When can we see the text of the article??

:cool:

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#15 Bonde

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Posted 25 October 2005 - 22:40

Pete,

I agree with your CART- assessment, but it still looks too 'flimsy' to me to have been a CART chassis, unless it is actually a lot older than 1988, but that wouldn't be supported by the location of the front springs, which I think Tauranac had pioneered just a few years before. A contemporary Ralt F3000 or March CART chassis front end looks more substantial to me.

Indeed a mystery - I'm looking forward to reading the full article if it shows up. I have no recollection of having seen this car before in Autosport, but then my remaining collection ends with 1984.

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#16 f1steveuk

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Posted 26 October 2005 - 08:34

Originally posted by Bonde
Steve,

I think what may appear to be fuel quick-filler necks are actually the exhaust primaries.

Although I like the low, lean shape of the car (disregarding the tall sidepods for a minute), what I can see of the front of the chassis appears quite 'flimsy' to me. It appears to be made mostly from a single skin of 1/2" aluminium honecomb sandwich and with no panelling over the driver's feet at all, at a time when everyone else was going for fully 'closed' carbon composite tubs. Makes me wonder if it actually complied with the safety regs of the time?

Yep, your right, they are the exhaust headers, of course a good bloke would have worked out the quick filler would have been on the other side for a Champ car. I shall go and stand in the corner and think about what I have said!! :lol:

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#17 aerogi

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Posted 26 October 2005 - 16:57

Here's the text, if someone could translate the major parts, that would be great!

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#18 FLB

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Posted 26 October 2005 - 18:20

The article mentions the origins of Space Racing as an entity building 'replica' cars for a TV series. I can fill in some details since it was a Franco-Candian co-production. It was also absolute crap... :

They built replicas of the major F1 cars of the time (1987). They had a team assembled. The article doesn't mention it, but Partick Gaillard was one of the drivers/mechanics involved in the production of the TV show. They thought building an F3000 chassis would be easier to sell than an F3. At the time of the article, they only had a dummy engine and still needed 150 000F to buy the real deal and put the car on the track. The front wings are missing on the picture, but according the article, they existed and looked like a 'pelle à tarte' (cake slice).

The chassis was an aluminum/honeycomb structure, sandwiched by carbon fiber panelling ('[...]dont le cloisonnement intérieur et la partie supérieure sont réalisés en carbone'), weighing 27kg. It had in-board front suspension and the rear spring/damper combo were placed on top of the gearbox.