Cosworth for sale!

[jonovision_man]

Ford killing Jaguar F1 and putting Cosworth up for sale!

jono

[jonovision_man]

There seem to be conflicting reports... Atlas says:
Jaguar will pull out of Formula One at the end of 2004, with parent company Ford's engine maker Cosworth also up for sale.

But other sites don't mention the Cosworth sale, f1-live saying only "Cosworth engineering will no longer receive a Ford subsidy".

Either way the effect on Champcars could be bad... hope not! :(

jono

[mueber]

OWRS always has a back up plan. No matter what happens enginewise in the long run, if you have a big enough crowbar, you can fit a small block in a champ car in the short run.

[MAXAR RE]

This really stinks!! :mad: I hope that Chevy doesn't buy them, as AR1 is speculating.

As far as a backup plan for engines, we could get the mechanics for Driven to show the Champ Car teams how to stick Acura Integra 1.8 liter I-4 engines in the cars (that's how the cars used in the stupid Toronto street chase were powered), but I don't see a Champ Car being all that fast when powered by a 170 HP engine.

[jonovision_man]

This really stinks!! :mad: I hope that Chevy doesn't buy them, as AR1 is speculating.

As far as a backup plan for engines, we could get the mechanics for Driven to show the Champ Car teams how to stick Acura Integra 1.8 liter I-4 engines in the cars (that's how the cars used in the stupid Toronto street chase were powered), but I don't see a Champ Car being all that fast when powered by a 170 HP engine.

Chevy? I don't see it, why would they want to inherit something Ford dumped as a money loser, just to run IRL? Doesn't add up for me.

jono

[FRANKY]

Chevy? I don't see it, why would they want to inherit something Ford dumped as a money loser, just to run IRL? Doesn't add up for me.

jono

Because they are weak in engine development.

[Steve99]

Chevy? I don't see it, why would they want to inherit something Ford dumped as a money loser, just to run IRL? Doesn't add up for me.

jono

Chevy to Formula 1! You heard it hear first. :rofl:

[JLMannin]

There seem to be conflicting reports... Atlas says:
Jaguar will pull out of Formula One at the end of 2004, with parent company Ford's engine maker Cosworth also up for sale.

But other sites don't mention the Cosworth sale, f1-live saying only "Cosworth engineering will no longer receive a Ford subsidy".

Either way the effect on Champcars could be bad... hope not! :(

jono

Cosworth made engines for many years with no sponsor of the valve covers. As long as TG doesn't buy Cosworth in his ongoing obsession with making Champcar just go away, we will be fine.

But I don't think TG has the right kind of currency (or enough, for that matter) to expand the vision to include becoming a manufacturer.

[jonovision_man]

Cosworth made engines for many years with no sponsor of the valve covers. As long as TG doesn't buy Cosworth in his ongoing obsession with making Champcar just go away, we will be fine.

But I don't think TG has the right kind of currency (or enough, for that matter) to expand the vision to include becoming a manufacturer.

Whoo-hoo... interesting theory... it would also do his buddy Bernie a favour, keeping Cossies in the backs of the Minardi and Jordan teams.

My understanding is that OWRS owns the Cosworth engines, so should be ok for at least one year. Finding someone else to buy from should be easy enough.

jono

[nrc]

How does all this fit with the rumors that Ford was looking at increasing their involvement with Champ Car? Is that off, or is the whole structure of this sale just different than people think?

Frankly I think the whole F1 program was a money pit, but it seems like Ford is throwing out the baby with the bath water.

[racer2c]

How does all this fit with the rumors that Ford was looking at increasing their involvement with Champ Car? Is that off, or is the whole structure of this sale just different than people think?

Frankly I think the whole F1 program was a money pit, but it seems like Ford is throwing out the baby with the bath water.

When I used to get all the car rags, when Ford took over Jaguar, reading something about Ford Europe being practically a a separate entity from Ford US. 'Separate' is probably not the right term, but all I can think of right now. I'm really tired. Anyhoo... I don't think it's chicken little time just yet. Maybe BMW will step up. :thumbup:

[G.]

In a conference call, Ford also said Jaguar would exit Formula One racing at the end of 2004 so the brand can focus management and financial resources on its core automotive business. The Formula One racing division is for sale, the company said. Is that considered Cosworth?

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/040917/ford_outlook_12.html

Guess so.
LONDON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Jaguar will pull out of Formula One at the end of 2004, with parent company Ford's engine maker Cosworth also up for sale.

http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuoteCompanyNewsArticle.jhtml?duid=mtfh2309 9_2004-09-17_13-33-31_l17584495_newsml

[Dirty Sanchez]

Try to follow along. Jaguar Racing is for sale. Cosworth is for sale. If you purchase one, you don't get both.

They are separate entities both owned by Ford.

There will be people interested in Jaguar Racing... people like Christian Horner of Arden International... who aspire to join Formula 1.

There will be people interested in Cosworth. People not necessarily interested in F1 as their business is pretty far reaching.

[nrc]

Audi bought Cosworth from Vickers in 1998. They kept the Engineering, Manufacturing, Casting business as Cosworth Technology and sold Cosworth Racing to Ford. Cosworth Racing started it's own Engineering business, but it's not nearly as developed as the Cosworth Technology.

From there web page it actually looks like Cosworth Racing is two businesses. Cosworth Racing is a UK based company that does their racing and engine development. Cosworth Inc is a U.S. company in California that does the Champ Car engine work.



Cosworth Racing’s north American facility, located in California, was created in 1977, initially to support customer teams using the turbocharged DFX engine in the CART championship. At the same time, it also supplied parts to competitors in the Formula Atlantic series, using the venerable Cosworth BDA engine.

Nowadays, its primary function is to maintain the engines used in the CART championship, where Cosworth supplies engines to the entire grid. This means building, testing and providing trackside support for the series.

Employing 65 people, Cosworth Inc also supplies spares to owners and builders of the older variants throughout the American market.

So there's no reason Ford couldn't sell Cosworth Racing and keep Cosworth Inc, and in fact just call them "Ford."

[RichK]

Nice work, nrc. You've done more investigative research than the people who get paid to report the news. And you didn't have to tell us to "try and follow along".

[Dirty Sanchez]

waaaaaah :cry:

listen... when people are confusing jaguar for cosworth, despite all that's been written to the contrary, its clear that reading comprehension is lacking.

yes, cosworth technology is owned by audi group. ford can not sell what does not belong to them (obviously).

link (http://www.audi.com/com/en/company/participations/cosworth/cosworth.jsp)

ford is selling cosworth racing... I don't think they will have a difficult time doing that. Neither does Tony Purnell.

[Andrew Longman]

Paying Cosworth handsomely to produce F1 engines amounts to a subsidy.

Take that away and reasons for owning Cosworth goes away.

As for CCWS, they still would/could pay to badge engines so they could still be a presenting "powered by Ford" sponsors.

[Dirty Sanchez]

ta-dow! :gomer:

Official Statement 09-17
CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES RELEASES STATEMENT ON SALE OF COSWORTH RACING

INDIANAPOLIS (September 17, 2004) - What follows is a statement released by the Champ Car World Series concerning today's announcement by series sponsor Ford Motor Company that it was putting the assets of Cosworth Racing Inc. up for sale. Cosworth Racing Inc. is the exclusive engine supplier to the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. The statement should be attributed to Champ Car President and CEO Dick Eidswick.

"It comes as no surprise that Ford has decided to take these actions. It is important to note the Champ Car World Series owns the Cosworth XFE engines our teams currently use and that this decision will not impact Champ Car's ability to compete now or in the future. We've been very pleased with our partners at Cosworth and anticipate the continuation of our relationship as both companies move forward with plans for the 2005 season.

[nrc]

That's going put a crimp in the Lemming D&G'rs fun.

Will Tony buy Cosworth and crush OWRS once and for all? He is, afterall, the most wealthy man in the whole wide world with secret holdings that extend far beyond our imagination.

Will Chevy buy Cosworth to maintain their IRL effort and crush OWRS once and for all? They are, afterall, a committed IRL partner and The preeminent force in worldwide motorsports.

Will John Menard buy Cosworth to provide a sink for all the excess money he'll still have left after his tax settlement and crush OWRS once and for all? He is, afterall, the most wealthy man in the whole wide world with secret holdings that extend far beyond our imagination.

[oddlycalm]

Either way the effect on Champcars could be bad... hope not! :(

Not really. CCWS owns the engines, the rebuild employees in the US could be contracted, and since Cosworth subs around virtually all of the parts suppliers should not be a big problem. The CART/CCWS program was set up by Cosworth to be pretty much a self-supporting and self-contained operation based in the US. I also suspect that any eventual owners might appreciate having revenue from a business that is so self-sufficient and ongoing. All they have to do is turn the crank and money comes out.

Ford sponsorship money is a different story, and although I doubt they are contributing all that much to have their name on the series, every little bit helps.

Stupid move on Ford's part, mark my words.

oc

[nrc]

I suspect that when Champ Car says, "it comes as no surprise" you can read that to mean that they're in the loop and this move has already been factored into the optimism we're seeing from them. Ford appears to be looking to rationalize their motorsports involvement, and their Champ car sponsorship is a bargain compared to the programs that have been specifically impacted by this.

[Madmaxfan2]

That's going put a crimp in the Lemming D&G'rs fun.

Will Tony buy Cosworth and crush OWRS once and for all? He is, afterall, the most wealthy man in the whole wide world with secret holdings that extend far beyond our imagination.

Will Chevy buy Cosworth to maintain their IRL effort and crush OWRS once and for all? They are, afterall, a committed IRL partner and The preeminent force in worldwide motorsports.

Will John Menard buy Cosworth to provide a sink for all the excess money he'll still have left after his tax settlement and crush OWRS once and for all? He is, afterall, the most wealthy man in the whole wide world with secret holdings that extend far beyond our imagination.
Great Sarcastic reply. As a Ford employee, if Edsel Ford annouced on Speed that Ford still considered Champ Car to be on assest, take him at his word. TG will never have the right currency to buy Cosworth, period. As far as passenger car engine technology development goes, F1 and leading egde high rev. valvetrain and electronic technolgy are diverting . What is needed in pass. car and truck engines is variation in lift and timing variables, the mechanismns that bring that about are outlawed for F1 and tend to limit the upper rev. limits of racing engines anyway. IRl engine technology is yesteryears F1 leftovers. Only GM is behind on that front. Do not worry for Champ Car.

[oddlycalm]

He is, afterall, the most wealthy man in the whole wide world with secret holdings that extend far beyond our imagination.

:laugh: :D :rofl:

Wow nrc, nice homage to the indiginous North American Slack Jawed Nosepicker. :thumbup:

oc

[gjc2]

How much would Cosworth sell for? Is it within the realm of possibility for the OWRS principals to buy it?

George

[Steve99]

That's going put a crimp in the Lemming D&G'rs fun.

Take a look at the headlines at speedtv.com. (http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/) They manage to make this look like a problem for CCWS, but not for Chevy IRL program.



Will Tony buy Cosworth and crush OWRS once and for all? He is, afterall, the most wealthy man in the whole wide world with secret holdings that extend far beyond our imagination.

Will John Menard buy Cosworth to provide a sink for all the excess money he'll still have left after his tax settlement and crush OWRS once and for all? He is, afterall, the most wealthy man in the whole wide world with secret holdings that extend far beyond our imagination.

I don't think both Tony and John can be the "most wealthy man in the world," unless they are the same person! :eek:

[oddlycalm]

How much would Cosworth sell for? Is it within the realm of possibility for the OWRS principals to buy it?

For what? They already own the engines and virtually none of the parts necessary to keep them running are actually made in the Cosworth shops as Cosworth contracts out the manufacturing on fully mature products. For that matter, over half the parts that go into the engines comes from US suppliers as it is. CCWS only needs the people, gaging and fixtures from the US rebuild facility to have everything they need.

The reason why CCWS is not acting worried at all is that there is nothing to worry about.

oc

[gjc2]

For what? They already own the engines and virtually none of the parts necessary to keep them running are actually made in the Cosworth shops as Cosworth contracts out the manufacturing on fully mature products. For that matter, over half the parts that go into the engines comes from US suppliers as it is. CCWS only needs the people, gaging and fixtures from the US rebuild facility to have everything they need.

The reason why CCWS is not acting worried at all is that there is nothing to worry about.

oc

I would like to see OWRS acquire the rights to the design and the ability to produce the Champ Car engine.

George

[nz_climber]

damm - I thought someone was selling one of those cosworth engines, that would be fun to put in a street car ;)