24 replies to this topic

[Sc. Serrenissima]

Hello,

Mauro Baldi drove, in august 1991 at Imola, a formula 1 designed by Mauro Forgheri for a Mexican tycoon, who wanted to named the car GLAS.

But, the Lamborghini factory stayed with the car when the mexican gone away.

So, I would like to ask 3 questions
- Does Pictures of the Baldi's tests exist ?
- When the project became "Lambo 2 team", Marco Apicella was named as test driver. Does he really drove the car at least one time ? Does Pictures exist ?
- I am interessted in the complete story of that car, because I only know the few words I have wrote in introduction.

Regards

[jph]

All I can add - and this is courtesy of A-Z of Grand Prix Cars - is that the Mexican backer was Fernando Gonzalez Luna, hence GLAS = G onzalez L una As sociates.

[ensign14]

The intended driver when they got to F1 was Mexican Giovanni Aloi, who had a desultory season of F3000 in preparation.

[gdecarli]

This is a brief story of Lambo and Glas in summero 1990 (and not 1991!). Click on pic to enlarge.

• June 1990 (from Autosprint 25/1990, pages 30-35)
  Just before Mexican GP, Autosprint visited Lambo's factory at Modena (Italy). First car was nearly ready, as it should have been shown at Mexican GP, some days later. At this point, this car was still intended for Mr. Fernando Gonzales Luna and Glas team.
  There is a long interview to Mauro Forghieri (Lambo technical director; please don't ask me to translate it!) about technical matters, with no reference to team Glas, drivers or so on.
  
  
  
  
• June 24th 1990 - Mexican GP (from Autosprint 26/1990, page 35)
  
  No car presentation: Lambo was sent from Modena to Paris, but just before its shipping to Mexico City Mr. Luna disappeared. Nobody knews anything about him, so Lamborghini's manager preferred to save money and to carry back home. They also added that Mr. Luna and Glas paid everything they should have paid until July 10th, next scheduled payment.
  
• July 3rd and 4th 1990 - Test at Imola (from Autosprint 28/1990, page 30-33 - last pic is from Autosprint 29/1990, page 49)
  Mr. Luna is still missing, but meanwhile Lambo had his very first test at Imola, driven by Mauro Baldi. Test were very good, car had no problem (but a crash!), it run 68 laps, best time was 1'31"851 and max speed 301 km/h.
  Just to have a comparison (even if of course it's not possibile to make a real comparison in such a different condition!) : during San Marino GP 1990 fastest lap was scored by Nannini 1'27"156 and Lambo's time would have been the 20th, better than Foitek and Goruillard!; max speed was 311 km/h scored by Patrese, 301 km/h would have been the 15th
  
  
  
  
• Mid July 1990 (from Autosprint 29/1990, page 49)
  Mr. Luna is still missing. There are rumors about his possible bankruptcy. However Lambo project goes on.
  Some Mexicans want to replace him and to go on with this project: among them there is Mr. Aloi (who worked with Mr. Luna in Glas project) and Abed brothers (Mexico City circuit owners).
  There are also some Italians interested in this car: Mr. Carlo Patrucco wants Lambo's car for his very new Modena Team.
  Meanwhile, test scheduled at Imola on July 17th and 18th are canceled because of crash made during first test and because before new test on track it has to do some tests in Pininfarina wind tunnell.
  
• Mid July 1990 (from Autosprint 30/1990, page 39)
  Few days later, Modena Team (owned by Mr. Patrucco) is very close to sign with Lamborghini. No more news from Mexico.
  
• August 2nd (Thursday) and 3rd (Friday) 1990 - Test at Imola (from Autosprint 32/1990, page 42-43)
  Second test on track, again driven by Mauro Baldi.
  Car has no big problems, its developing goes on.
  It run for 78 laps; best time is 1'34"80 on Thursday and 1'33"80 on Friday; they are both much slower than time scored on July, but they haven't looked for a good time, they only have done developing works on car.
  
  
  
  
• September 11th and 12th 1990 - Test at Imola (from Autosprint 38/1990, page 41)
  Third Lambo test, the first one with some other car.
  Again no big problems, developing goes on. Cars have no problems and team is very satisfied.
  

  TEST AT IMOLA							   Sept 11  1990  Sept 12  1990
  
  -----------------   ---------------------   -------------  -------------
  
  Pierluigi Martini   Minardi M190 Cosworth	   -		  1'27"122 (71)
  
  Mauro Baldi		 Lambo 001 Lamborghini   1'32"476 (50)  1'31"561 (40)
  
  Gabriele Tarquini   AGS Jh25 Cosworth		   -		  1'31"617 (66)
  
  Yannick Dalmas	  AGS Jh25 Cosworth	   1'33"463 (21)	  -

• September 22nd and 29th 1990 - Test at Monza ? (from Autosprint 38/1990, page 41)
  More test were scheduled at Monza on September 22nd and 29th, but I haven't found any info, I don't know if they have been done or canceled. On 29th they should have tested second car.
  
• October 2nd to 4th 1990 - Test at Estoril (from Autosprint 41/1990, page 24-27)
  First official test, with second car ("the real one", they say). Drivers are Marco Apicella and Eric Van de Poele (who was second driver in 1991).

  TEST AT ESTORIL							   Oct 2  Wed Oct 3 90 Thu Oct 4 90 Fri Oct 5 90  Oct 6
  
  ------------------ ------------------------  ------- ------------ ------------ ------------ -------
  
  Ayrton Senna	   McLaren Mp4/5B Honda V12  1'20"29 1'18"17 (30) 1'14"49 (39) 1'17"54 (81)	 -
  
  Nigel Mansell	  Ferrari 641/2				 -	   -		1'17"89 (69) 1'14"81 (44)	 -
  
  Ayrton Senna	   McLaren Mp4/5B Honda V10	  -	   -			-			-		1'14"82
  
  Riccardo Patrese   Williams FW13/B Renault   1'17"64 1'16"50 (42) 1'14"94 (64) 1'14"89 (58) 1'16"29
  
  Stefano Modena	 Tyrrell 019 Cosworth	  1'19"44 1'15"97 (48) 1'16"44 (58)	 -			-
  
  Alain Prost		Ferrari 641/2			 1'16"17	 -			-			-			-
  
  Alessandro Nannini Benetton B190 Ford			-	   -			-		1'18"50 (20) 1'17"34
  
  Nelson Piquet	  Benetton B190 Ford		1'19"79 1'17"87 (30) 1'18"54 (65)	 -			-
  
  Gerhard Berger	 McLaren Mp4/5B Honda V10  1'20"35	 -			-		1'19"02 (51)	 -
  
  Marco Apicella	 Lambo 001 Lamborghini	 1'25"61 1'21"39 (24) 1'19"80 (41)	 -			-
  
  Eric Van de Poele  Lambo 001 Lamborghini		 -   1'22"79 (25) 1'19"97 (52)	 -			-

  (in brackets, laps run. This info is not available for Tuesday and Saturday test.

Ciao,
Guido

[ensign14]

Many thanks.

Am I the only one that thought the Lambo, when it raced, was a stunning looking car? Like the Rial in 1988? Maybe it's the colour...

[Rainer Nyberg]

Nope, not the only one

Include me too!

It was refreshingly different, so I think that is why I liked it so much

[Muzza]

I remember being broken-hearted when Eric van de Poele (a driver that I rate highly) retired when in 5th place, with four laps to go, at the 1991 San Marino GP...

Oddly, that was the only real good showing by the Lambo team in a racing weekend.

(time is passing and proving that I was right to say thar 1989-1991 were, in my opinion, the last great years of Formula 1, with 40 cars registered... Rainer, I miss Rial, Dallara/Scuderia Italia, Onyx (a third place with Johansson in Portugal 1990!) and others too...)

[Zawed]

[Anorak on] That Onyx 3rd place was in 1989, not 1990...[anorak off]

Those days are sorely missed, the 30 + entry list, 26 car grids...Minardi started 3rd on the grid at Phoenix that year...imagine that now..

[Geza Sury]

Incrideble stuff, Guido, many thanks

Originally posted by Muzza
I remember being broken-hearted when Eric van de Poele (a driver that I rate highly) retired when in 5th place, with four laps to go, at the 1991 San Marino GP...

Actually Eric retired just in sight of the chequered flag, some 400 metres before the finish. He thought he had run out of fuel, but it later turned out he had 26 litres of fuel in the tank and had a fuel pick-up problem.

Originally posted by Zawed
Those days are sorely missed, the 30 + entry list, 26 car grids...Minardi started 3rd on the grid at Phoenix that year...imagine that now..

[ANORAK ON]Pierluigi started from the 2nd place in the US GP...[ANORAK OFF]

[ensign14]

Originally posted by Muzza
Oddly, that was the only real good showing by the Lambo team in a racing weekend.

Maybe not so odd...Italian car with Italian engine in Italy with Italian scrutineers? Was I the only one that heard the rumours that a somewhat fat engine got through?

It was a conflict of loyalties for me, I rated EvdP highly as well and wanted him to do well...but Lotus were 6th and 7th and also in dire need of something. And it was Julian Bailey's last chance to snatch a point.

[Sc. Serrenissima]

Whaouuuuuu

BIG thanks for you Guido

[gdecarli]

Originally posted by ensign14
Maybe not so odd...Italian car with Italian engine in Italy with Italian scrutineers? Was I the only one that heard the rumours that a somewhat fat engine got through?

I have heard several times question about fat engine (I mean generally, not about Lambo in particular). Do you remember super Cosworth, IIRC 3300cc?
I don't believe to all these rumors; I think Lambo was good at Imola simply because it was their home circuit, where this car was born.
Van De Poele was 5th, but behind him there were both Lotus (6. Hakkinen and 7. Bailey), both Ligier (8. Boutsen, 10. Comas), both Brabham (9. Blundell, 11. Brundle) and March's Gugelmin. None of them was a successful car (all of them togheter collected 7 points in the whole 1991 championship), so I think that with some luck and circuit knowledge Lambo could be fifth without any fat engine.

Ciao,
Guido

[Zawed]

Originally posted by Geza Sury


[ANORAK ON]Pierluigi started from the 2nd place in the US GP...[ANORAK OFF]

Ouch!

[nigel5]

Originally posted by gdecarli
[*]October 2nd to 4th 1990 - Test at Estoril (from Autosprint 41/1990, page 24-27)
First official test, with second car ("the real one", they say). Drivers are Marco Apicella and Eric Van de Poele (who was second driver in 1991).

TEST AT ESTORIL							   Oct 2  Wed Oct 3 90 Thu Oct 4 90 Fri Oct 5 90  Oct 6

------------------ ------------------------  ------- ------------ ------------ ------------ -------

Ayrton Senna	   McLaren Mp4/5B Honda V12  1'20"29 1'18"17 (30) 1'14"49 (39) 1'17"54 (81)	 -

Nigel Mansell	  Ferrari 641/2				 -	   -		1'17"89 (69) 1'14"81 (44)	 -

Ayrton Senna	   McLaren Mp4/5B Honda V10	  -	   -			-			-		1'14"82

Riccardo Patrese   Williams FW13/B Renault   1'17"64 1'16"50 (42) 1'14"94 (64) 1'14"89 (58) 1'16"29

Stefano Modena	 Tyrrell 019 Cosworth	  1'19"44 1'15"97 (48) 1'16"44 (58)	 -			-

Alain Prost		Ferrari 641/2			 1'16"17	 -			-			-			-

Alessandro Nannini Benetton B190 Ford			-	   -			-		1'18"50 (20) 1'17"34

Nelson Piquet	  Benetton B190 Ford		1'19"79 1'17"87 (30) 1'18"54 (65)	 -			-

Gerhard Berger	 McLaren Mp4/5B Honda V10  1'20"35	 -			-		1'19"02 (51)	 -

Marco [B]Apicella[/B]	  Lambo 001 Lamborghini	 1'25"61 1'21"39 (24) 1'19"80 (41)	 -			-

Eric Van de Poele  Lambo 001 Lamborghini		 -   1'22"79 (25) 1'19"97 (52)	 -			-

(in brackets, laps run. This info is not available for Tuesday and Saturday test.[/list]Ciao,
Guido [/B]

Does anyone has got a picture of Marco Apicella on board the Lambo 001 ?

Thanks

[gdecarli]

Unfortunately not me!

Ciao,
Guido

[dick]

I just watched the '91 USGP from Phoenix and noticed a striking and forgotton car...the Lambo 291. Does anyone have any nice pictures of this car? I've found a couple online but they are all kind of blurry. Also, was this the only year that Lamborghini campaigned an F1 car on their own>

[Formula Once]

The 2 cars were entered by Modena Team (or Scuderia Modena as it was officially known) and it would even have scored points if Van der Poele had not retired shortly before the finish at Imola while running 4th. The rather unsually shaped car (nicely painted in shiny dark blue) was designed by Mauro Forghieri and Mario Tolentino and first appeared on track in the summer of 1990 (driven by Mauro Baldi I believe). The car was originally built to take Mexican Fernando Gonzales's GLAS project into F1. Fernando was supposed to find the money and appearently he did, only to take that money (said to be some 20 million dollars...) and run. The project was taken over by Carlo Patrucco, formerly with the Fila clothing company. Nicola Larini and Eric van de Poele raced for the Modena Team in 1991, Marco Apicella being the test driver. The team folded at the end of the season, however, (no money) and Lamborghini continued to just supply engines to Larrousse as they had done since 1989 (and Ligier in 1991 too).

[dick]

Thanks for the history lesson. Great looking car to my eyes. I love all those late eighties...early nineties cars. The ones today look like monstrosities in comparison.

[potmotr]

Couldn't agree more. The cars of 1991 would have to be the best looking ever I reckon. Even though Prost called it a tractor I still think the Ferrari 643 is the best looking car ever. Followed by the Jordan 191. Those early high nose cars were so elegant.

[dick]

No kidding. I shouldn't watch those old races because it just make the cars of today look more ridiculous. When I watched that Ferrari last Sunday all I could think about is, god...what an ugly car. The narrow track and all the aero devices has just killed any chance of a good looking F1 car. I like the look of the short wheelbase cars of the era of the Lambo I was speaking of. Today's car is too long and narrow.

[macoran]

Originally posted by dick
Does anyone have any nice pictures of this car?

pm for you dick

[lustigson]

Found two reasonably-sized pictures through my friend Google:


Source: http://www.f1total.c...d=1773&janela=1


Source: http://atlasf1.autos...view/jones.html

[HistoryFan]

Originally posted by jph
All I can add - and this is courtesy of A-Z of Grand Prix Cars - is that the Mexican backer was Fernando Gonzalez Luna, hence GLAS = G onzalez L una As sociates.

Other sources said that GLAS stands for Gonzales Luna Auto Scuderia...

Als gdecarli said, Giovanni Alio's father was also involved in this team. What is his surname? And are there more details about his career?

And there were some rumours that Leopoldo Canettoli will be race director at GLAS

[HistoryFan]

Originally posted by Formula Once
[B]Carlo Patrucco

Are there more info about him?

[GMiranda]

Hi

 

Here are some questions I have about this project:

- What happened to Fernando González Luna after he disappeared with the money? Allegedly, he was involved in some shady businesses - fraud, drugs or both - and had Interpol looking for him...

- Of course, it was too early to confirm the lineup for 1991, but the information would have put Mauro Baldi and Giovanni Aloi as the drivers, with Apicella as the test driver. Was Baldi really interested in returning to F1 after his success in Group C? I remember reading an interview he was pretty disappointed with the F1 world and was happy in the WSC. He was also not a young guy anymore. I also read somewhere, can't confirm the course now, he might be linked to a minor stake on the team...

I understand why they wanted a Mexican driver, but I presume Aloi was selected only because his father was one of the team's sponsors. He had no significant credentials in Mexico, and his European ventures in F3 weren't properly outstanding. He could well do at least one more season instead of rushing to F3000, where he never distinguished himself.

- Were there no more Mexican drivers rumoured for the team? Mexico had a healthy single-seater scene at home by then, and many of the frontrunners used to drive on the Group C races in Mexico City. Men like Alfonso Toledano, Carlos Guerrero, Bernard Jourdain, Tómas López,...

Did being a test driver for a team like Scuderia Modena give Apicella any test mileage, or was it just a name and some money put by the driver with the promise to eventually test the car?

- Were there any plans to save the team at the end of 1992? I read Patrucco was trying to find an investor or merge it with Larrousse or the aborted Adrian Reynard project.