So this isn't the leaked pic but the one the team put out directly after, don't want PETA knocking on my door on my first post. This car smashes with a hammer, the rule that a quick car has to be a pretty car. It got me to thinking about the ugly cars of the past and, as this is a blog, I came up with a top 5!
5. 1976 Ligier JS5
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| Who thought this was a brilliant idea! |
The Mid-1970s was a particularly bad time for F1 cars.The decade that gave us the Lotus 76 also spawned some monstrosities, but none worse in my opinion than this poor Ligier. I honestly think there is a small f1 car growing in that air vent. The car itself was pretty unspectacular in results terms too but it did manage three podiums.
This was more down to the driving talents of Jaques Laffite rather than aerodynamic qualities!
4. 1999 BAR 01
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| And they say only people can lose their identity. |
The BAR 01 was not, in itself, an ugly car. At least that was the case until the FIA got involved. The team had intended to run different liveries on each of their cars. One was to be Lucky Strike taken straight from their Indycar ventures the other to be 555 that had been sported by the Subaru rally cars of the time. Problem was this was not allowed under FIA regulations and the resultant mess is what you see above.
In the hands of former champion and part time crooner Jaques Villeneuve the car failed to finish its first 11 races. Some say this was down to reliability reasons but I say JV was too embarrassed to keep going in it!
As a footnote, id like to also point out that BAR were serial offenders in bad liveries, who remembers the earth car they made Jenson Button drive!
3. 2004 William FW26
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| Williams FW26 "Walrus nose" |
I have a confession to make. I have a soft spot for the FW26. Not because it looks good or won races, it didn't. But at the time all the teams were producing cars that looked identical. Everyone was copying Shumi's Ferrari because it was dominating.
In an effort to get back to winning ways Williams put this baby to work. OK, it didn't work but it gave us something different to look at on the grid for the first time in a while.
The car proved too unstable and by the Hungarian grand prix the front end was redesigned with a more conventional look. Ah well, at least we had the lunacy for a while!
2. 1995 Mclaren MP4-10
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| The Wide Boy! |
1995 should have been good for Mclaren. Mansell driving, Mercedes power. It all looked good. Well, apart from the car that is. It needed an extra wing in the middle to keep it stable and the midsection had to be made, ahem, bigger to fit the mustachioed ones girth in.
Mansell didn't win any races. In fact he was so unimpressed with the car that he only did two races and was replaced by a number of drivers. By the end of the season the team was heading in a much more positive direction with Hakkinen and Brundle chasing at the heels of the Williams and Benetton's. The reason this car gets on the list is due to it being the last Mclaren with the Marlboro livery making it an affront to such a legendary paint job!
1. 1979 Ensign n-179
Well the picture says it all. A front aero design for the ages! Derek Daley was the driver at the start of the 79 season but he didn't last long and but he left after the Monaco Grand Prix and was replaced by Patrick Gaillard. Gaillard only qualified at two out of five races and was replaced by Frenchman Marc Surer for the final three races of the season. The car had no speed and was pointless all season.
The car marked the a start in the downturn for the Ensign team that showed early promise before disappearing in 1984. Still, if someone can find one now, that front end could be used for an excellent filing system!
That's my top five but a few honourable mentions for you to Google are:
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| 1974 March 741 |
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| 2001 Arrows |
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| 1976 Tyrrell P34 |
Any suggestions of your own? feel free to comment, I do like looking at the absurd!
