Description:

To be offered at Bonhams Goodwood Members Meeting Sale on the 7th April 2019

Estimate: £135,000 - £165,000

Ex-Larrousse Formula 1 Team; Philippe Alliot, Éric Bernard, Aguri Suzuki, Michele Alboreto

1989 Lola LC89 Formula 1 Monoposto

Chassis no. 03

*Works team car

*Lamborghini V12 engine

*Known competition history

*On museum display for the last 28 years

The Larrousse Formula 1 team was founded in 1987 by former racer and Renault Motor Sports boss Gérard Larrousse and his business partner, Didier Calmels, originally under the name Larrousse & Calmels. Based in France, it competed in F1 from 1987 to 1994 before succumbing to financial difficulties, scoring a best finish of 3rd at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix.



Larrousse's first car - the Cosworth DFZ-powered Lola T87/30 - was commissioned from the British manufacturer and designed by Eric Broadley and Ralph Bellamy. The team started out in 1987 with one car for Philippe Alliot, adding a second for Yannick Dalmas towards the end of the year. For 1988 there was a new chassis – the Lola LC88, still with Cosworth power – but for 1989 the team secured a deal to run Lamborghini V12 engines. Alliot stayed on but Dalmas, who had been ill, was replaced part way through the season by rookie French driver Éric Bernard, and later by former Tyrell driver Michele Alboreto. At the end of the year, Larrousse sold 50% of his shares to the Japanese Espo Corporation. Aguri Suzuki was hired to partner Bernard for 1990, and its new Japanese recruit took the team's best ever result with 3rd place at that year's Japanese Grand Prix.



Larrousse would enjoy its most successful season in Formula 1 in 1990, finishing 6th in the Constructors' Championship, only for Lamborghini to announce it was switching to Ligier for 1991. Of greater concern was the loss of Larrousse's points because of an alleged 'false declaration' concerning the origin of the chassis: the team had mistakenly declared the car as manufactured by themselves when in fact it was designed and built by Lola.



The Larrousse Lola offered here, chassis number '03', was entered in 14 Formula 1 Grands Prix: 12 in 1989 and two in 1990, as detailed below.



1989

Round 4 Mexico DNQ Alliot #30

Round 5 USA retired Alliot #30

Round 6 Canada 14th Alliot #30

Round 7 France 11th Bernard #29

Round 8 Britain 16th Bernard #29

Round 10 Hungary retired Alboreto #29

Round 11 Belgium retired Alboreto #29

Round 12 Italy retired Alboreto #29

Round 13 Portugal 11th Alboreto #29

Round 14 Spain DNQ Alboreto #29

Round 15 Japan DNQ Alboreto #29

Round 16 Australia DNQ Alboreto #29



1990

Round 1 USA retired Suzuki #30

Round 2 Brazil retired Suzuki #30



Since then, chassis number '03' has been in long-term museum storage, undergoing some restoration in 1993 and also in 2018. The car's livery is that used by Larrousse at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix in which Aguri Suzuki achieved the team's best ever result of 3rd place. We are advised that the car is mostly complete, but missing engine internals and a management system (ECU).



Although absent from the current Formula 1 scene, the exciting sound of a V12 racing engine at full throttle is one of the sport's most evocative, and it should not prove too difficult to return this historic and well preserved Larrousse Lola to running condition.



Should the vehicle remain in the UK, local import taxes of 5% will be added to the hammer price.

Please contact the Bonhams Motor Car Department for further information.

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