AMT... Toyota!

[Mr.S]

From F1 rumors:

Toyota pulling a fast one

There has been a lot of speculation in the pit-lane about who the movers and shakers behind Asia Motor Technologies -- supplier to Arrows for 2001.

The company has bought out Peugeots entire Formula One research and development team, complete with all the rights associated with the engine, and it seems most of the important people are still involved. They are overhauling the unit -- turning it into something the engine Prost asked for this year.

Arrows are getting a full works deal, but at a price. They are cooperating with AMT with the lessons learned from their own engine program, and exposing a lot of their chassis technology. Which is good for the backers of AMT, which is a fronting operation for what is currently Toyota's engine research arm, and potential customer arm in future.

Toyota, of course, can benefit hugely from running an engine -- under someone else's name -- for a year. The lessons learned will set them substantially better off in their own development program, and it is at little extra cost over the basic research costs of developing for a test team. Nice move...

Wow, if true it seems like an amazing idea, but then again it could just be speculation.

[steve nielsen]

Why would AMT put a lot of money into that engine if there is'nt a big manufacturer behind it. It seems the boss at AMT is the son of the big man at Sony, and also has stocks in Proton, who are partly owned by:.......Mitsubitsi!!, it would be a logical step for Mitsubitsi to go into F1, since 2 of their fellow japanese carmanufacturers(Honda and Toyota) are already present in F1, why AMT then??, well they first want to trie out that engine, before they give their own name to it, it would be bad for sales if the reliabillity is'nt good.

[Sharky]

I'm not so sure about Mitsubishi in F1. At least not for now because they don't have any "top class" racing experience. However they could ask someone to build them the engine and they could just put their name on the engine....but....mitsubishi in F1....mhh....I don't know.

As for toyota doing that....it makes sense. I mean, no matter how much testing you do you'll never get as much feedback as you would get in a racing situation so Toyota entering a year before under a different name makes sense....but I doubt that Tom W would sign a one year deal....or even worse...sign a deal with someone that working for someone else.

[Valve Bounce]

Well, if Mitsubishi enterred F1, they would probably reserve the numbers 0 and 00, and have contracts to take out MS through Kamikaze tactics.

[Dino IV]

And who's the majority shareholder in Mitsubishi again?
Right ... DaimlerChrysler.
Can't see that lead to anything.
Toyota sounds more logical.

[angst]

I think someone touched on this earlier, but it makes sense as far as a swap of information between Peugeot & Toyota rearding F1 and WRC....