Hello and welcome to F1 Livery histories,
the channel where we take a look back at
the different, paint jobs, racing trims
and sponsor decals adopted by respective
Formula One teams throughout the eras.
Today we'll be profiling a team which
achieved intermediate successes at Grand
Prix level, yet managed to overcome both
controversy and adversity during its
eight year stint in Formula One, on
occasion are performing even its
wealthiest of rivals.
Larousse.
The Larousse Formula One team was founded in
1987, as Larousse & Calmels, by former
Renault Sport boss and team principal of
the factory Renault in Formula One team,
Gerrard Larousse, and primary investor
Didier Calmels.
Rather than building its
own chassis, the team entered an
exclusive deal with longtime Formula one
constructor, Lola, which would see
Larousse operating in Formula one with
Lola built cars on a customer basis.
Within months of formation this new
Paris-based operation was set for an
immediate entry into Formula One.
So begins our retrospective on the
complicated dealings of the effervescent
Larousse Formula One team.
The first Lola  car raced by team
Larousse was the Lola T87/30 chassis,
which was redesignated by the team as
the Larousse LC87 and outfitted with
naturally aspirated Ford power.
Tyres and
fuel was supplied to the team by
Goodyear and BP.
The team made its
Formula One debut at the 1987 San Marino
Grand Prix with Philippe Alliot piloting a
singular entry.
Late in the season the
team would expand to a two-car operation
with Yannick Dalmas joining Alliot on
driving duties.
From the outset Larrousse
proved to be a colourful team, as
evidenced by their car's livery, which
featured a backdrop shade of blue, the
national racing colour of France, accented
by a margin of red which surrounded the
monocoque.
The team's sponsors included
Hetcher, Siene-Maritime, Haute Normandie
Viel & Cie, Hewlett Packard, Gevelot, and major
sponsors, security systems company, Elkron,
which appeared primarily on the rear
wing and sides of the vehicle.
The same
livery was retained the following year
for the LC88, as the team attracted a
band of new French sponsors, including
human resources company, Adia, as well as
chemical and pharmaceutical company
Rhône-Poulenc.
The team also welcomed aboard cigarette
company, Camel, as sponsors which signalled
the arrival of Camel's distinctive brand
of yellow to the top of the car.
Leading into the 1989 season the team's
co-founder Didier Calmels was arrested for
murder, prompting his exodus from the
team, which soon thereafter became simply
known as Equipe Larousse.
The team
pressed on with the Lamborghini V12
powered LC88B, before introducing the
all-new LC89.
Green was first introduced
to the livery by virtue of fuel supplier
BP, which was now seen more vividly on
both the car's engine case and the nose
cone.
In the absence of Elkron, Rhône-Poulenc
was now seen occupying the car's
rear wing.
The team's livery also employed
a varied collection of shapes
arranged on the car in a contemporary
fashion.
This livery concept was further
explored in 1990, as the team ran with
the LC89B and LC90 chassis.
Camel had
exited the team, which saw US IT company,
Unisys, now appearing in the car's airbox.
Japanese electronics brand, Toshiba,
assumed space on the car's rear
wing, whilst smaller sponsors such as Spex, Towa,
Geo and TDK were also visible.
1990 also
saw Japanese communications company,
Espo, briefly purchase an interest in the
team, securing a position on the car's
side pods.
At the 1990 Japanese Grand
Prix, local driver, Aguri Suzuki, claimed
Larousse their first and only podium
position, by finishing in third place.
This podium finish would also prove to
be the one and only podium registered by
a Lamborghini powered car in Formula One.
Suzuki and his teammate Eric Bernard
would steer Larousse to sixth position
in the Constructors' standings in 1990,
capping off Larrousse's most successful
Formula One season.
However, by the end of
the season, Larousse would lose the
support of both Lamborghini and primary
investors Espo.
1991 would mark the
team's return to Ford engines as
Larousse competed with the LC91, the final
Lola built Larrousse chassis.
Along with the addition of new sponsors, Central
Park, the team's livery went through a
series of revitalisation throughout the
year, as red, yellow and green were all
utilized as offset colours throughout
various stages of the season.
Despite their
colourful appearance on-track, Larrousse's
financial situation had become rather bleak.
On the verge of bankruptcy,
Larousse would receive the lifeline it
needed heading into 1992, securing an
arrangement with a new investor.
In 1992 the team was officially entered
as Venturi Larousse, as the French
automaker purchased a controlling
interest in Gerard Larrousse's team.
The team fielded the Venturi LC92, designed
by Robin Herd, which once again ran with
Lamborghini power.
Amidst a flood of
changes at managerial level Larrousse's
team livery remained largely the same as,
the LC92 came painted in Larrousse's
recognised combination of blue, red,
yellow and green, present now with the
Venturi branding.
Amongst the teams newly
signed sponsors for season 1992 was
cigarette brand, Cabin, which reintroduced
the colour red to the cars airbox.
Zent, Hype and Rizla also featured on the car
throughout the season.
Venturi's association with Larrousse would prove to
last only the singular season, as
following the 1992 season, Venturi sold
their majority shareholding in the team
to an investment firm known as the
Comstock Group.
However, within a few
weeks of this announcement, it was
revealed that Comstock's president, Klaus
Walz, who had fronted the Comstock
company unlawfully under an assumed
identity, was wanted by police in multiple
countries in connection to several cases
of homicide.
Subsequently this turn of
events would result in full control of
the team once again reverting back to
Gerard Larousse.
The LH 93, Larrousse's first Formula One
chassis, came once again outfitted with
Lamborghini engines.
1993 also oversaw
Larrousse switching to Elf fuels, whilst the
team retained their unique and distinctive
multicoloured team livery.
Charro, Zanussi, Sematic and Ambrosi were all picked up as additional sponsors.
However, the team
was still struggling without a major
financial backer, leading Gerard Larrousse
to seek out new investors to keep his
team afloat.
Heading into 1994, Larousse
landed a deal with multinational
consumables corporation, Danone which
brought upon a radical new twin livery
concept for the Ford powered LH94, which
featured two of the company's sister
brands.
For the season opener in Brazil
the team debuted a primarily green
livery which promoted the alcohol-free
Tourtel brand. The livery also featured
diagonal elements of yellow and blue,
plus additional sponsorship from Speedy,
Franck Miller, Eurosport, and cigarette
brand, Gauloises.
Throughout the season
the team would alternate between this
livery and a red and white chequered
livery, which promoted Kronenbourg in
countries which permitted alcohol
advertising.
The team's driver lineup
fluctuated constantly during the season,
as Larrousse brought in a number of pay
drivers as the season progressed.
Heading
into 1995 the team's coffers were once
again bare, and so Larrousse explored the
possibilities of state funding, as well
as the potential of entering an
agreement with French F3000 team, DAMS.
However, neither of these opportunities
came to action, and amidst ongoing legal
troubles and debts, Larrousse would remain
absent from the Formula one grid.
And so Larrousse became the latest casualty of
the increasing financial demands of
Formula One racing.
In spite of a rapid,
almost yearly interchange of primary
investors and succumbing to the need to
employ numerous pay-drivers, Larrousse
always remained a respectable and
competitive Formula one operation.
