Argo

[Chris Townsend]

Marc
052 is not one I have noted against a particular driver.
Alan Brown, who posts regularly on this forum observed the following in 1981
051-F3 Rushen Green Racing [Enrique Benamo/David Sears]
053-F3 Paul Hutson
055-F3 David Sturdy

The other regular drivers of JM8s in 1981 were
Thierry Tassin [UK series]
Jon Beekhuis [UK series]
John Booth [UK series]
Derek Butt [UK series]
Roy Fish [UK series, one race only but was a new car]
Franco Forini [Italian series]

I think that Bruno Huber had a JM3

Chris

[driftwood]

Huber is later listed on f3 website as running NJ8 after his JM3

[theo2]

I have bought an Argo in super vee configuration with indentification
number 040 1-76. Does any one has any information about this car.
Were it run or who was one of the former owners? At this moment it
has Swiss sponsor logo's on the car. And it has a sticker from the Formel
Rennsport club der Schweitz (FRC).

If any has some information would they be so kind and send me this
information.

Kind Regards,
Theo

[Dan Rear]

This would be a late 1979 or early 1980 car I guess. So either a JM4 or JM7 if its a genuine SuperVee as opposed to an F3 conversion.

[Chris Townsend]

I don't think it can be chassis 040 as that was a JM6 F3 car and was noted as used by Duncan Bain in UK in 1989 [I guess in libre races]
The 1-76 bit is intriguing...
The format of the numbers is nothing like the normal Argo format, could you post a photo of the plate?
The first Argo built [JM1] was built March 77 and sold to Rudi Gygax in mid 1977, so would have Swiss history, but we are a long from saying it's that car.
Could you also tell us more about the sponsor [name? colour scheme]
Any dates on the Formel Rennsport Club sticker?

Chris

[Dan Rear]

You wouldn't be mistaking the car for a Modus would you, Theo?? The 1976 bit would fit, and IIRC quite a few Modi were exported to Austria/Germany for FSV, F3 and climbing.

[Chris Townsend]

Dan

I had exactly the same thought last night! Still couldn't be 040 as that has traceable history in USA through to the present, though it wouldn't be the first time that a duplicate chassis plate came out of Modus!

[driftwood]

lets see some photos of the car with body on and body off
look at the uprights do they have a name or a part number on them?

[theo2]

Here are some pictures of the car. There is no chassisplate at the car, the number on the picture together with another number on the side of the car (11-77) are the only numbers I have.

Thanks to all of you for all your help allready!

greetings, Theo

[driftwood]

i see the upright has modus on it -typical of Jo M using older car parts on a new car without changing the name!!

[Neptune]

Theo/ others,

I have F3-040-F3 Modus. Bryan Miller told me there should have been a tub number stamped into the rear bulkhead, but I could never find one. I do have contiuous history of the car from Bret Riley in 1976 through all the US owners since 1977.

Please show us some more photos of the cars chassis tub with details of the overall buklheads and some internal details. Does the car have an aluminum Argo Cars plate w/ a number stamped on it?

Roger

[Chris Townsend]

Theo

Most interesting! I do not think that the 040 1 76 stamping relates to the chassis number of the car. Please can we see some pictures of the front of the tub, as Roger suggests?
The bodywork has obviously been heavily modified over the years. If it has Modus uprights it suggests either that it IS a Modus or that it is an early Argo

Chris

[driftwood]

Note Chris how i refrained from suggesting it was a Modus!
as Inspector Clousseau said 2suspect everything AND nothing!"
so what now kato?

[theo2]

Hallo your kind all

thanks for reakting , its mayby an moddyficht aircould super vee modus ?
It have original VW uprichts on the front .
I have other pictures from the chassis for yours

Regards Theo

[Neptune]

Theo,

It sure quacks like a duck. Lots of Modus features. I can even see the 3/4 square tube which originally was all the support the factory provided for the dash. The triangular corner re-inforcement at the lower rear of the tub is original and the upper trailing arm mount, located on top of the tub is typical of later Modus.

Even the traingular cross-section reinforcement inside the front suspension, between the two bulkheads and the square crossbar (that locates the top of the front shocks) and the small diameter tubes which go up to the top mount from the steering rack etc is Modus.

I would suggest you go to the Modus page here and read it all. There may be a photo of the tub number on Bryan Miller's car, now owned by his brother. His car has a replacement tub. There should also be a Modus number plate on the left side of the cockpit, just opposite of the shifter on the right side. I'm gonna guess that if there is no evidence of that number plate, I'd suggest that you have a replacement tub, and that the number on the bulkhead is the replacement tub number. Do you have the log books for the car? They should help in determining a model & S/N.

[Dan Rear]

I see that in the Classic F3 series race at Pembrey recently, there were 2
JM3s out. Assuming one is the ex-works/Guerrero car, is the other an import? Ex-RTH maybe, anyone know anything?

[ben_h]

I own a JM3 F3 chassis number 35 I am keen to find out more about this car... can anyone help?

Thanks

[Chris Townsend]

Ben

We know that Guerrero had 021 at least to begin with, though he might have needed a replacement chassis.
Other users of JM3 were
Bruno Eichmann [a car later sold to Marcus Simeon] with BMW engine
Bruno Huber
and two cars for Racing Team Holland for Luyendijk and Rob Leuweenberg

Do you have original bodywork?

Chris

[ben_h]

Yes I do have the original body work

I believe that the car was a late development JM3 as the tub is very similar to to the JM6 around the bulk head and side pods. I have found an old autosport that talks about Guerrero testing a development chassis at Mallory.

I guess there is not a factory register anywhere that lists who has what I understand that Marcus Pye does have access to some of this information.

The Chassis has the mountings for a Toyota block and also had the installation kit for an FT box I have changed this and fitted a MK9 box

[Chris Townsend]

Ben

We know that 036 was an Atlantic car that was delivered latish in the 1979 season, so it could be that you have the development car.
034 was Bruce Venn's Super Vee, which I think was delivered March-April

What colour is the gel coat on the bodywork? What is the next colour over it - if there is one?

Chris

[Dan Rear]

If Guerrero's first JM3 was no. 21, and Ben has a late season car, no. 35, then what were the 14 cars in-between. Roughly 5 other JM3s perhaps, so were the other 9 FVS JM4s, mainly for the US I guess?

[jag65]

Hi, RE Argo/Modus,
Can anyone help?
Just purchased body tub 030/10/75, tub is bent and incomplete,tub looks like pictures THEO02 car posted 29th May 08.
Anyone likely to have any info on what this car may have done or been over its years??
Many thanks
Jag65

[Neptune]

Good morning Jag65,

Theo sent us the photos of the front of the tub where I can easily see that everything matches to a Modus. But then we never heard from him again. I'm 90% sure Theo's car started life as a Modus rather than Argo.

If you read the Modus page, you will see that Modus did stamp chassis numbers into the rear bulkhead of certain chassis, most notably, replacement tubs. The number doesn't usually match the chassis number of the car, as evidenced by my owning Modus M1-040-F3 and Theo owning tub no. 40-1-76. On the Modus page, the only evidence has shown up on cars w/ Modus chassis number plate and tub numbers. Another question that was often brought up, was what about the TOJ cars supplied to Jorg Obermoser? No one seems to know if they had TOJ tags or Modus ones and in Formula Cars A-Z, a different shaped body is shown for TOJ.

Does your tub have a chassis number? Should be riveted to the tub, inside the left sponson opposite the shifter?

Roger

[jag65]

Thank you for your reply,No chassis plate, has been removed but can see where it was, my intension is to build new tub using old one to copy. I would like to try and rebuild rest of car in keeping with what should have been fitted at the time. I do realise that with no chassis plate this car will only be a copy. It is intreseting to know that there are still some people keen to put some history to these cars.
Many thanks for your your intrest as this is a new project for me.
Jag 65

[Chris Townsend]

Jag 65

Where are you in the world?
The tub 30-10-75 suggests it was either a rebuild of an existing car late season [in which case you might have an ex works M1 as one of those certainly had a new tub late in the season] or an early chassis laid down for 1976

The last two 1975 production cars are an M2 supervee for Bill Alsup [raced in November] and the first of Norman Dickson's F Atlantic cars, not raced till 1976. That one was wrecked in Ireland in the early 80s I think.

Chris