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The 1994 Jordan 194 ran a successful demo at Silverstone. FormulaNerds learnt how this car was restored to its former glory.
Classic F1 cars resonate with fans differently from the current breed. The liveries are iconic, the sound is deafening, and the sponsors are more defining.
All F1 fans are united in their love of 1990s F1. V10 engines, unbelievable track action, and some of the most iconic liveries placed on an F1 car, it is no wonder this era is fondly remembered.
The Jordan originally raced in 1994 with drivers Rubens Barrichello and Eddie Irvine at the wheel. Barrichello’s season was mixed. He crashed heavily at Imola on the weekend, which would take the lives of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna. But, later in the year, he took a famous pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Seeing these cars raises a question: What happens to an F1 car after its year in the sport is up? As F1 Authentics CEO Barry Gough told us last year, an F1 car previously had one of two fates: it goes to landfill or was sold to a private collector.
Rescuing a classic car
When we arrived, the 194 sat hidden in one of the international paddock garages. A car from this legendary period looked resplendent, surrounded by cars from the 1970s and 1980s. This glorious piece of history could easily be missed without knowing where to look.
A skilled team worked on the car, preparing it for its Friday demo run. The engine cover is off, and the car is being well cared for. This particular 194 is now in the care of MJ Tech Limited. The company specialises in the maintenance and preparation of historic racing cars. Companies like this are vital so the car’s glorious soundtrack can again burst into life.
However, the Jordan required significant repairs and restoration to return it to its former glory. Raced in the Boss GP series, the company inherited this car in a terrible state. Unrecognisable upon arrival, the car donned a yellow livery, its history as a Jordan seemingly erased. The car’s structure had also begun to fail.
We spoke with the Managing Director of MJ Tech Limited, Michael Jakeman, about this massive undertaking. Sitting in front of his laptop, Jakeman told us about the vast scale of work undertaken on the car, which included needing to upgrade the out-of-date internal electronics:
“The car came to us in a fairly sorry state after being raced in the Boss GP Championship. We fully restored the car. We stripped all the paint back to the carbon and had the car repainted in its original colours.
“We’ve had to move away from the electronics that were on the car because there were no laptops or software to interrogate the system. So we’ve gone to a live racing mod ACU…, a dash steering wheel, a mega line electronic gear change instead of a hydraulic gear.
Changes as dramatic as these mean modifying the bodywork, with work on the car continuing as Jakeman explained: “We’ve modified the side cover to allow us to do that. Removing the ratchet mechanisms so it’s a step… just drives to the position, the angle of what the gear demands.
“And then just do what we do. You know, we rebuilt every component on the car, We’ve had to modify some bits to make it compatible with the updates that we’ve done. And we’re here [at Silverstone], just testing it, still doing work on some of the electronics. So we use this as a bit of a test before we go to other events.”
Are more demo runs planned?
As interest in classic F1 continues to grow, we asked Jakeman if more events are scheduled for the 194. Like many in motorsport, he believes these beautiful cars and engines need to be preserved:
“Going forward, probably for next season, we will demo the car. Hopefully, in the future, someone like Masters [championship] will have a championship for these types of cars to run in.
“It’s nice to see the V10s out there again. I think that’s what the public likes to see. You know, they’re quick and noisy, and that’ll help draw, you know, large crowds.”
Using our eagle eyes, we noticed that the exposed engine was, in fact, a Judd V10 engine as opposed to the Hart engine the car originally raced with in 1994. Jakeman explained the logical reason behind the change:
” It’s a Judd… we have got a Hart engine, but we’ve got a manufacturer, and there are a lot of parts for it. So, at the moment, we’ve got a Judd in it, which is the same style of engine in a bore and stroke V10.
“It was the nearest we could get to fit the car, really, so that’s what we’ve gone with now. In the future, we’ll hopefully get a Hart back into it. We will probably do five or six laps for the demo.”
As the demo approached, the mechanics fired up the Judd V10, and we saw the car roar into life, leaving the garage. The sound took everyone back to an idolised time of racing. Long may cars like these be preserved.
Feature Image Credit: FormulaNerds via James PhillipsÂ?