spirit f1/f2 cars

can any one out there help with info on the spirit f1/f2 cars. I think Gordon Coppuck had something to t=do with their design and I think that Steffan Johansen drove in f1

It was formed by John Wickham and Gordon Coppuck in 1981, with works backing from Honda.
They started with F.2 (Johansson and Boutsen?) then switched to F.1, with Honda engines (1983), in a part year program.
However in 1984 Honda went with Williams, leaving Spirit out in the cold.
The F.2 cars were bought by Austrian drivers Jo Gartner and "Pierre Chauvet".
They went to BMW power and, if I remember well, Gartner won a race (1983).
After Honda left they survived for a couple of years in F.1 using Hart engines, without significant results.
At the beginning of '84 Emerson Fittipaldi was announced as their driver, in a F.1 comeback (slow italian driver Fulvio Ballabio was said to provide funds through Topolino/Mickey Mouse sponsorship money).

Ballabio didn't get the required superlicence and Fittipaldi drove the car only once in testing at Rio.......

Can anyone confirm which chassis Gartner & Chauvet used? The F1Regsiter says 4 & 5, but 4 was supposedly one of the Honda-powered F1 chassis that Johansson had at his disposal in 1983...

Gartner won at Pau 1983, by the way. He won after Ferté's winning Maurer was disqualified for being underweight. Since he'd led for a lot of the race anyway, and lost it on the last lap, itseemed a fair result!

I remember seeing the car(s) offered for sale on Autosport (1984?), maybe chassis number(s)is(are) there...

Chris Farrell over here has 2 months ago landed the Jo Gartner car, when paperwork comes my way I will advise ch.no.etc.
The car came out of the U.S.A.

Bryan.

The Spirit 201 (F2 car) was used for F1 testing with the Honda turbo. The Spririt 101 (F1 car) looked like the 201 with bigger tyres, wings and a big fuel tank. When Honda pulled out, it had a Hart 415T in 1984 (Baldi/Rothengatter shared drive) with poor Baldi having another go in 1985 when it was painted red... This was the only visible evolution!

The team even ran Cosworth V8s for two races in 1984! It must have been a real struggle to do that change just for a couple of events! Therefore, the same basic chassis used Hart 420, Hart 415, Honda V6 and Ford V8 in just two years. How versatile!

On a sad note, following the death of Pierre Chauvet in the EuroBoss race last year and Jo Gartner in sportcars in the 80's, neither 84 F2 driver is stil alive.

the good Dr i believe has chassis # 5
1 car was used on german hillclimbs back in the 80`s its possibly the same chassis

Originally posted by Redlake27

On a sad note, following the death of Pierre Chauvet in the EuroBoss race last year...Most, July 14th 2002. ...and Jo Gartner in sportcars in the 80's...Le Mans, June 1st 1986.