What is Aston Martin up to?

[Aslak Vind]

I find the Lola Aston Martin very pretty.

[CTD]

Originally Posted by deggis

how much Gulf Oil is willing to pay to see a car in orange-blue livery all over British sports pages on 16th of June?

That is a very good advertising!.
And if Aston could go be a race win competitor, then Gulf will earn from there investment!, no better advertising in England, then being the one of reasons Aston Martin could win Le Mans! (I think).

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by GT-Eins

If I remember right it was yet said last year that the Lola-Chassis would be an interims-solution before building an own one.
So AM are just on the track with their programme.

Nice to hear that the car-builder crisis does not affect all such programms

Yes, that's exactly what was implied on the rumour mill way back when. Can't remember if GHC or DR made an official statement to that effect.

And Charouz selling the B08/60's whilst saying they would likely return with 2 new cars in 2009, but avoiding the question of what chassis/engine combination they would return with (thereby keeping this project under wraps?).

Then there's Gulf saying they were in it for the long haul with a statement that suggested the 2009 car may be a car capable of going for the overall at Le Mans.

It all appears to add up, except in the current economic climate, it's an unlikely project. The one thing that tips the balance in favour of such a programme going ahead is the combined financial clout that Gulf and Charouz Racing System are likely to bring with them. AMR are surely in no position financially to underwrite such a project by themselves, but with funding from GULF/Charouz, just maybe.

Surprising and incredibly exciting news when our sport is getting it in the neck from all sides due to the economic downturn. Let's hope this rumour has legs.

[Aslak Vind]

That is correct.

So basically we dont know anything more, than earlier?

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by Aslak Vind

So basically we dont know anything more, than earlier?

Of course not........but surely we all enjoy a bit of evidence gathering and speculation regarding what could turn out to be the most exciting project to be announced this this side of the Pond this year, don't we?

One more thought; if this programme does see the light of day, might we see Brabs behind the wheel of one of these cars at Le Mans? Sure hope so!

[Tim the Grey]

Aslak, I think the Charouz Lola was the best looking car on the grid at Silverstone.

It would look jaw droppingly beautiful in full Gulf colours...

[The Badger]

Have you seen how much profits oil companies have made in the last few years ..... this could also have been budgeted for before this crisis crap .

[The Badger]

Originally Posted by Bentley03

One more thought; if this programme does see the light of day, might we see Brabs behind the wheel of one of these cars at Le Mans? Sure hope so!

How about : Brabham-Turner-Garcia & Mucke-Charouz-Enge to start the ball rollin James ? ..... love the speculation

[deggis]

Originally Posted by Bentley03

One more thought; if this programme does see the light of day, might we see Brabs behind the wheel of one of these cars at Le Mans? Sure hope so!

But AM and Acura would be then rivals. Possibly either someday racing against in France or in US, so...

[deggis]

Originally Posted by Tim the Grey

Aslak, I think the Charouz Lola was the best looking car on the grid at Silverstone.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3035/...4838d44ccb.jpg

It would look jaw droppingly beautiful in full Gulf colours...

Similarly like it is now in blue, orange would only emphasize the boxy nose. Aston Martin needs to take your breath away. Altough the AMR1 probably didn't.

Opinions are like buttholes but there is just something wrong with the nose. E.g. Pug 908's nose is extremely awkward, but at least it looks somewhat "balanced" and "finalized". Since more or less a single-seater nose is a must, something like Acura did on their P2 would be nice, where the single-seater shape is kind of hidden without going the extreme ee1/908 way.

but I would definitely take the B08/60 with AM engine, regardless of livery or nose design :P

[Dead-Eye]

Originally Posted by deggis

Similarly like it is now in blue, orange would only emphasize the boxy nose. Aston Martin needs to take your breath away.

If it beats Audi it will, no matter how it looks

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by deggis

But AM and Acura would be then rivals. Possibly either someday racing against in France or in US, so...

I don't see a real conflict of interests here. Brabs was released to drive for AMR in 2008, so there's history (the good sort!). Acura appear unlikely to contest Le Mans in 2009, which leaves Brabs free (in theory) to take up another drive. I would also consider the chances of AMR and Acura going head to head in the foreseeable future as unlikely, even if it turns out that they are racing in the same class. Add to that Acura and Aston Martin's very different 'real world' customer base and I don't see a problem.

Anyway, it's just wishful thinking on my part.

[SebringMG]

If AMR are serious (as the rumours suggest) the present Lola chassis will play little part in AMRs attack. The Lola is effectively a customer chassis and is not (quite) goo enough for a manufacturer backed assault on LM (imo).

Good chassis, and possibly a good starting point but a 908 beater it is not....hence why i think AMR will have their own chassis.

Plus i seem to remember DR or GHC having some less than flattering comments about the Lola after the LM test day last year.

Driver lineup is where they could struggle - Jan Charouz is a bit of a weak link in whichever car he ends up in.

[The Badger]

I reckon Lola is one of the best chassis manufacturers in the business . Look at what they can build for a customer chassis , imagine what they could do with a bit of wedge from uncle Martin .

[SebringMG]

Agreed - the customer car is definitely built to a certain budget. Still think if Lola were involved it would probably end up a clean sheet design rather than base it on the current chassis.

[CTD]

Originally Posted by The Badger

I reckon Lola is one of the best chassis manufacturers in the business . Look at what they can build for a customer chassis , imagine what they could do with a bit of wedge from uncle Martin .

AMR could choose the Pescarolo way!.
Start of with a customer chassis (2008 Lola) then modify it, so it can compete against Audi, Peugeot and Acura.
If AMR base there new car on the Lola Tub, and they ad there own body panels, they will get a fast car, and save money, because they wouldn't have to develop there own tub!

[JAG]

A Gulf sponsored car aligned to a British manufacturer is a licence to print money merchandise wise.

The Gulf DBR9 is everywhere in the model world, and always featured heavily in motorsport magazines etc., same goes for 40 year old Gulf GT40's and 917's.

I don't even see why Aston Martin would have to go to the expense of designing an all new car, the Lola still has plenty of development left in it, run that for two years and see what's needed for 2011 and beyond.

We may be suprised and find the top petrol runners are a match for the further restricted diesel's.

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by CTD

AMR could choose the Pescarolo way!.
Start of with a customer chassis (2008 Lola) then modify it, so it can compete against Audi, Peugeot and Acura.
If AMR base there new car on the Lola Tub, and they ad there own body panels, they will get a fast car, and save money, because they wouldn't have to develop there own tub!

But they already had two tubs in their possession, why sell them? No, sounds like a clean sheet design to me.

[WMUCarGuy]

Originally Posted by CTD

AMR could choose the Pescarolo way!.
Start of with a customer chassis (2008 Lola) then modify it, so it can compete against Audi, Peugeot and Acura.
If AMR base there new car on the Lola Tub, and they ad there own body panels, they will get a fast car, and save money, because they wouldn't have to develop there own tub!

Look what Acura's done with the mediocre Courage chassis. The Lola is a MUCH better starting point so, anything's possible.

[CTD]

Originally Posted by JAG

We may be suprised and find the top petrol runners are a match for the further restricted diesel's.

I think Audi and Peugeot have done there calculations and figured out that they will still be faster, other wise we would hear them complain big time!

[CTD]

Originally Posted by Bentley03

But they already had two tubs in their possession, why sell them? No, sounds like a clean sheet design to me.

Well its easier to sell to complete cars! and its cheaper and better to buy 2 new tubs to work from! especially if Lola is involved with the AMR version!

[JAG]

Originally Posted by CTD

I think Audi and Peugeot have done there calculations and figured out that they will still be faster, other wise we would hear them complain big time!

Competitive, given the same chassis, team etc. i.e. against Acura, but not necessarily a performance advantage.

The diesel's could lose 5 seconds at Le Mans, relative to the petrol competition, which may put the 908 and R15 only a second or two ahead of the current Lola Aston Martin.

Given the cost of a new car, there's a good argument to delay that until 2011, gaining experience in '09/'10.

[LeMans.pt]

Originally Posted by WMUCarGuy

mediocre Courage chassis

Why so? The problem with the Courages never was their "mediocrity"! Reliability perhaps, but the chassis was a very good starting point to Acura and Pescarolo. In the right hands... with the right funding (see Oreca) that chassis as good as any other non manufacture, like Lola, Zytek, and so on...

[CTD]

No one beats Lola in making customer chassis!. 50 years of expirence means a lot!
The Courage cars wasn't fast in its natural form, only the C60 and the Pescarolo mods!

[class4v]

Well the Courage C65 did beat the hell out of the Lola 2004 chassis at Le Mans and the LMS. Furthermore Courage won manufacturer's titles in 2004, 2005 (ALMS) and 2006... With the right drivers, the right money and the experienced engineers a Courage chassis doesn't have to fear the Lola ones...