GM Power for Jordan?

[Gerard]

From Autosport:

Jordan's hunt for a works engine deal may have led them to the door of General Motors.

The motoring giant has recently increased its profile in motorsport with a two-pronged Le Mans campaign this year, though talk of an F1 engine programme may be too early. With Jordan receiving engines on a more equal footing to works outfit BAR next year, the courting of GM is likely to be a long-term possibility.

Next season, Jordan will be supplied with Honda's new generation F1 powerplant, which will replace both the current works Honda 'entry level' model, and the evolved 1999 Mugen unit that Jordan is using. This will undoubtedly be a tempting prospect to Eddie Jordan, who nevertheless is reported as feeling that a tie-up with a major manufacturer is a necessity for being competitive in contemporary F1.

GM is the one of two of the top-five motoring manufacturers who will not have a presence in F1 by 2002 - with Toyota, DaimlerChrysler and Ford all either heavily involved already, or with programmes in the pipeline, GM may feel that a presence in F1 is necessary.

GM has never been involved in F1, but recently reversed a long-standing policy of having no works presence in motorsport. The works Cadillac and Corvette teams that raced at Le Mans may yet herald the arrival of the manufacturer in motorsport's top flight.

[RIKB]

Maybe in the future, but not for the next year or two...

[fatbloke]

Don't know what GM would be like, but i've always found their subsidiaries - Vauxhall and Opel - to be very much of the 'fair weather' variety. When something happens which they don't agree with, or they're not doing so well, they bugger off home, and take their ball with them.

[bondibill]

Surely the big problem for GM is that they don't have a "world-wide" brand to promote. Vauxhall - UK, Opel - Europe, Chevrolet Pontiac etc. - US. Unless they decide to brand it something like Saab! Is Cadillac a relevent brand to be promoting in Europe? The success of the US GP may have an influence on a decision like this...

[Regs]

Bondbill, you make a great point. GM has no international branding, nor any kind of car that is recognozed as a "performance" marque. Although the LeMans adventure is an attempt to step in that direction. And I always found the Corvette to be generally uninspiring, not much more than a high HP engine in a generically styled body. GM cars are in general average and, as Fatbloke pointed out, of the "fair weather variety". GM does own SAAB, for better or worse, and I think that would be the one to build on. SAAB is internationally recognized. Here in the US it's generally seen to be in the same league as BMW. SAAB have always been innovative in their engineering approaches and I think would be a good choice for any GM sponsored F1 effort.

[Devlin]

I thought it was pretty obvious that GM wants to promote Cadillac into a sport/luxury brand (similar to BMW and Mercedes) and make an impact in Europe with it. Chrysler is doing pretty well there with Stratus and 300M, as I understand, and GM wants a piece of the cake. SAAB? Well, if turbos were still allowed...

[RIKB]

For buggering off and taking their ball with them, I reckon Peugeot take some beating!

I cite the BTCC and now F1 as my eveidence.!

[Sharky]

Mhhhh....A friend of mine (who seems to know quite a lot on the subject)thinks that it isn't a great idea because he seems to believe that GM doesen't take their commitment with motors sports very seriosly. Personaly I remember that the last time they raced was in Indy CART and were very succesful but then again....those engines were Ilmor built. And well.....NASCAR but that doesen't really count

[bondibill]

Surely all that Eddie Jordan has to do is to keep showing BAR how to build racing cars, and the thought of a GM powerplant goes away! As RIKB mentioned re Peugeot, with EJs experienced of suppliers losing interest, Honda must be a much more interesting proposition.

[Diabando]

HOLD UP!!!!

GM = Holden.... and Holden are one of our (Australia) biggest and most successful manufacturers. I might be able to give you the missing link here. Have you all forgotten Peter Brock already? Bathurst? Or how about the current driver line up in the V8 Supercars Holden Racing team...Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife. Holden has dominated this sport for years.. and who has been in the background all this time? who has been a major influence in the team? Tom Walkinsaw...

[Minardi fan]

So GM power for Arrows??? Oooooh.

Plus they are without an engine for next year...

Watch out for the mother of all scraps for the Supertecs between Arrows, Prost and Minardi...

[Green_man4421]

Uh uh.....

GM what would they put on F1 cars. Exactually. And they haven't really been into world class open wheller racing before. I mean look at Toyota coming to F1 with all that CARt knowlage but
GM will have a little bit from Sportscars and Touring cars right?

[EERO]

As has been stated, they have had little official presence in international racing until recently. Local series contested by Holden, Vauxhaul or Opel, are just not comparable. If GM were to come in, annd I doubt they would, Cadillac would make the most sense as GM is trying to reposition the brand as an innovative Hi-tech performance/luxury line with a world-wide market. Their appearence at Le Mans was only the first move in this direction. In Detroit, there is a lot of "Monkey see, Monkey do", and Caddy is GM"s nearest equivalent to Ford's Jaguar.

[Neil C]

EERO: Your turn to read my mind.

GM: Generic Motors. It's no wonder 3 of the last 5 CEO's are named "Smith".

Spoken like a true Ford man. However, Regs, I think the Corvette is a true enthusiast car. The only competitor in the price range is the Viper, and the 'vette has a much improved suspension/handling package to go with it's muscle. I think the current design is pretty good, though not close to the Viper.

I would be surpised to see GM choose the SAAB as their Int'l competition vehicle. SAAB has a reputation for reliablility and safety, NOT performance. I dont know if they want to change that.

It does seem they want to update our image of the Cadillac. I would think that is the more likely choice for a platform on which to build an int'l competition program.

[bondibill]

So leather seats, climate control air-con and an 18 speaker hi-fi for the EJ11??

[Minardi fan]

But Trulli is dim enough as it is - with all those distractions Jordan will be doomed.

[Sharky]

Well...Cadillac is looking for a more High Performance look. I have a 1997 Road and Track magazine over here and it has an advertisement for the Cadillac...Catera I think...correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, the slogan is "A caddy that zigs". Now they have participated in the 24 hours of le mans but if they don't come under the Cadillac or chevrolet name then Opel would be the one.

[Green_man4421]

IT will take them a long time to come to speed. But SAAB in F1 something dosn't fit.

[Minardi fan]

No more questions - Jordan have secured a works deal with Honda. Go look at my thread!

[Regs]

Okay, I stand corrected two points. One, yes, the Corvette is an enthusiasts car, though I stand by my opinion on its styling. Though personally, given the choice of a Vette and a Viper, I'd take the Viper and enhance its suspension deficits with aftermarket parts. And there are people who are devoted to the Corvette marque. Also on the SAAB issue, yes, it would make sense for GM to go that route in re-imaging Cadillac from the car your grandfather drove to the American BMW/Mercedes that I think they want it to be. Though I think they'll have to do better than the Catera. Lincoln is doing the same thing and thier LS I feel comes much closer to hitting that mark. At least participating in events like LeMans, engine manufacturing for CART and/or F1 would go a long way twords enhancing not only Cadillac's, but also GM's image as a performance minded company. Something I think GM really needs to cultivate. For some reason they tend to look to thier accounting deparment for thier CEOs rather than engineering or marketing. Though I don't know who's in charge now. I think they'll stick with the Sports car's for now. F1 I think will have too much sticker shock. Regardless of how deep GM's pockets are.

[Neil C]

Good points, Regs. I agree that the Catera is a poor attempt at a sporty Caddy. It comes across as a small, cheap Caddy, like, what was it in the 80's, the Cimmaron?

The Lincoln LS does a much better job of hitting the mark for entry level luxury/sport sedans. A big step up from the Taurus and its ilk, but well below the cost of BMW's and the Jaguar S-type.

I also suspect you are right about GM reluctance to really dive into Intl motorsport other than Le Mans. They do not have a focused brand-image like Jaguar, so I dont know what they'd be trying to accomplish with a F1 effort.