Ever since its inception in 1950, the Formula One World Championship had been the domain of highly capable, well-resourced and well funded factory teams. Brands like Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Lancia dominated the early years, forcing private teams to either run an inferior machine, or hope to acquire a secondhand works racer.

The status quo was finally upset near the end of F1's first decade, as smaller British firms like Vanwall, Cooper and Lotus began to find ways to take the fight to the giants of the sport. Over time however, the challengers either faded away, like Vanwall and Cooper, or became the establishment themselves, as happened with Lotus.

The fantastic DFV brought forth an enormous wave of private F1 entries. The fantastic DFV brought forth an enormous wave of private F1 entries.

While at the top Lotus ironically helped introduce the biggest building block for any small private team worth their salt. In 1967. Lotus founder and chairman Colin Chapman forged a bond with automotive giant Ford Motor Company and renowned engine wizards Cosworth to create the Double Four Valve 3.0L V8.

The engine was a resounding success, winning on the Dutch Grand Prix on its debut at Zandvoort. Realizing they had the first truly effective motor within the 3.0L formula established in 1966, Ford strong-armed Lotus out of their initially exclusive engine deal, and began offering the DFV to anyone who had the cash. In the process, the firm once and for all democratized power. Thanks to the efforts of British transmission builder Hewland, a way to harness that power was also readily available.

Both readily available to an eager market, the Cosworth engine and Hewland gearbox provided two of the most essential pieces for any F1 hopeful. Simply lease a couple, have some lads in a shed rivet together some bits of aluminium to make a chassis, attach some wheels to it, and you're on your way to the pinnacle of motorsport.

However, not all cash-strapped entrepreneurs thought along the lines of utilizing this simple, effective and relatively affordable package. One of those mavericks was a Dutch auto dealer by the name of Arno van Dijk. Arno ran a small dealership in the Western region of the province of Brabant, and was an avid racing fan. At some point in 1971, he conjured up the zest and ambition to try and start the first all-Dutch Formula One team.

Van Dijck sitting in his dubious creation. Van Dijck sitting in his dubious creation.

Using his connections in the local automotive scene, he was able to secure the manpower and materials to fashion a crude sheet aluminium monocoque chassis. The design was very boxy and featured plenty of sharp edges, but did sport sidepod-mounted radiators, a relatively novel feature at the time.

Instead of the by then common and sensible Cosworth+Hewland combination, Van Dijk opted to go for a vastly more eccentric option. At around the same time, Italian kart manufacturer Tecno was busy moving into Formula One as well.

Even for an early 70's design, the car looked worryingly crude. Even for an early 70's design, the car looked worryingly crude.

Being familiar with their popular and very successful products, Arno Van Dijk reasoned Tecno would be able to build him a competitive engine. Satisfied with this concept, he contacted the Nederlandse Omroep (Dutch Channel) and put out a press release confirming the Arno-Tecno 016L, which was promptly reported on during the Studio Sport segment of state television programming.

However, Tecno was still busy finalizing their own design, as they intended to enter Formula One in 1972. As a result, although the car was ready, Arno had no engine to put in it for its public debut. The 016L was set to feature as a major exhibit of the Trophy of the Dunes touring car race, so Van Dijk desperately needed something to fill the gaping hole in his ungainly chassis.

Van Dijk found a substitute engine in the nick of time. Van Dijk found a substitute engine in the nick of time.

The solution came in the form of a Ford 302 5.0L smallblock V8, which had started out life in a Ford GT40 before being used in a Formula 5000 machine. The engine was fitted with a large airbox and a hastily designed exhaust system, and quickly bolted to the chassis. With the big V8 in place, the car was finally ready for its public debut.

Arno Cars arrived on time at the Trophy of the Dunes on November 29, 1972. The car was kept under covers for most of the event, with only a brief moment uncovered for the eager press and fans present.

Despite the immense public interest, the 016L never moved a inch under its own power. The origami bodywork didn't reveal a deep understanding of aerodynamics, a suspicion enforced by the pathetically tiny front winglets attached to the incredibly long, wide and square nosecone.

Though the short presentation of the Arno 016L caused quite the stir, Van Dijk couldn't lean back just yet. As his team had been working on the car, Tecno had entered F1 with the PA123, a straightforward but comparatively much more elegant chassis powered by a 180-degree V12 engine.

Arno van Dijk revving the Ford engine. Arno van Dijk revving the Ford engine.

Although the P-Series powerplant produced a highly competitive 460 horsepower, which put it right between the Cosworth DFV (440 hp) and the Ferrari V12 (480 hp), it was also seriously unreliable.

During the 1972 season, Tecno never managed to finish a single Grand Prix they entered. Adding insult to injury, the team recorded two Did Not Starts, one Did Not Classify and one Did Not Qualify. The rest of their nine entries ended in retirements. As the Tecno program crumbled in fantastically Italian fashion, Arno van Dijk realized he'd have to look elsewhere for a viable powerplant to propel his creation.

Though the Tecno deal was falling through, Van Dijk opted to display the car once more as part of a carnival parade in February of 1973. The popularity of the festival in his native Brabant ensured his outfit would get a another boost of publicity, but rumors surrounding the car died down soon after.

Later that year, the car resurfaced at the Jochen Rindt Show, a motorsport exhibition in Vienna. While there, Arno van Dijk announced his team had an option of using Alfa Romeo engines for the 016L. Despite his claims, Alfa Romeo hadn't been near Formula One since 1951, and didn't actually have a suitable engine ready.

The only unit even vaguely conforming to Formula One's regulations was the V8 used in the Tipo 33 sportscar, but it had nowhere near the power to compete with the sprint-oriented engines active in the sport. Clearly then, Van Dijk wasn't telling the whole story.

Regardless, he stated the car was set to be ready for the 1974 Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama. There it would be driven by Dutch touring car racer Peter van Zwan. Predictably, none of this actually happened.

The 016L alongside Arno Cars' Lola T292. The 016L alongside Arno Cars' Lola T292.

After the show, things quieted down once again, and the Arno faded into obscurity. The car made it into the public once more however, as it was photographed sitting alongside a Lola T292, rebranded as an Arno-Cosworth, with which Arno Cars was supposedly set to contest the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Though he had a ready made car and drivers Manfred Mohr (GER) and Han Akersloot (NL) at his disposal, Arno Cars would never make it to Le Mans. Like the Formula One project, the whole thing was driven by passion over pragmatism, and never had a clear base in reality.

After his short stint in the national limelight, Arno van Dijk went back to his car dealership, and never launched a crazy project ever again. Because of this, it would take until 2007 before Formula One would see the first truly Dutch Formula One team with the advent of Spyker.