Minard-Subaru

[ghinzani]

Can anone help me with pictures of the Minardi m188b Subaru test hack they used in 89 to test the Subaru flat 12 "lump" (I use the word advisedly). Cant seem to find much on the net. I know it was tested by Barilla and I think Apicella but little else.

Thanks

[marcus]

sorry I cant help you there Ghinzani with the pics , but thanks for filling me in on this , i had no clue at all that Minardi even tested the Subaru, I was gonna come in here and say it was Coloni not Minardi who used it.

Ive never heard of this at all but i'd like to hear more about it.

[ghinzani]

Ahh Marcus - remember the heady days of F1 in the 80s?? What a great period. Ok pre-qualifying was a nightmare, my opinion is we just shoulda let em all out at once or give them single shot qualifying at least. Imagine a Piquet or a Prost non-qualifying because of an off or a blow up... anyway I digress. In those days optomistic projects were 10 a penny, most of them coming from Italy !! Osellas Turbo V8s, Life w12s, Modena/GLAS team Lambo's, Colonis with fishing wire on the wing mirrors, Motori-moderrni V6 turbos... anyway it was the great Ing Chiti of Motori-Moderni who persuaded Fuji heavy industries (owners of Subaru) to part with a lot of dough whilst he tried to recreate his glory days by designing a flat 12 to take on the world. Still with me?

Anyway Piero Mancini, financier of Motori-Moderni also had ties with Giancarlo Minardi and thus the Flat 12 ended up being tested during the summer of 89 in a Minardi-M188B. I might add by such luminaries as Morbidelli and Piero Martini, and I beleive Luis Sala. After extensive testing Minardi politely declined the offer of free engines for 1990, prefering to pay Heine Mader for DFRs!! Thus in stepped the 3rd Enzo, meester Coloni who gladly accepted Subarus money, and by all accounts salted it away rather than spend it on the team.

And now I search for Pictures - but mysteriously they have dissapeared like a mafioso stool pigeon!

[ghinzani]

One other interesting point, and I must say before I say this that I have the greatest respect for Carlo Chiti (may he rest in peace), is that it was quite a step to try to recreate the succes he had engine wise with Ferrari and indeed the Alfa flat and V12s of the 70s and 80s on a fraction of the budget with MM. However there must have been something in the air down old Roma way because a year later up popped Ing Rochi who had designed the flat 12 Ferrari of the 70s with his amazing w12 Life motor. This perhaps was an even bigger failure in its attempts to recapture its designers glory days.

[marcus]

great stuff Ghinzani , wow I didnt know any of that and yes I agree the 80's and early 90's were simply the best years in F1 history in my opinion , and thats why I am playing 1985

I will hunt around and see what i can find on the picture front though I'd like to see it myself.

[ghinzani]

Felix from the 8W team has mailed me a greta picture of it, let me see if I can get it attched!

[ghinzani]

hows this?

[marcus]

cool , I had a hunt around and found a bit of text about it but no pics , basically its just the 88 chassis with the Subaru engine engine, I guess it was a good thing Minardi passed on the deal as it didnt do Coloni any good.

thanks for the pic Ghinzani