1989 Arrows A11 Cosworth

Background

Part of the Formula 1 grid for over three decades, the Arrows team had a particularly competitive spell during the late 1980s. With backing from American insurance company USF&G and with Ross Brawn as chief designer, the small team produced some formidable machines. The A10 and subsequent A11 were let down only by the lack of a works budget and, more importantly, a works engine. During the 1989 season, season drivers Eddie Cheever and Derek Warwick were nevertheless regular point scorers with the Arrows A11 and the American driver added a podium finish to his tally in his home Grand Prix.

The Arrows Racing Team was established ahead of the 1978 season after backer Franco Ambrosio, team manager Alan Rees, former driver Jackie Oliver and designers Dave Wass and Tony Southgate defected from the Shadow team. Their initials inspired the Arrows name, just as had been the case for the March team that had been co-founded by Rees a decade earlier. Despite a difficult start due to a variety of legal issues, Arrows became a set fixture of the Formula 1 grid under various guises through to the 2002 season.

By the start of the 1987 season, the only founders remaining were Alan Rees and team principal Jackie Oliver. Despite coming off a particularly disastrous season, the Arrows Racing Team managed to sign a lucrative sponsorship deal with American insurance giant USF&G, while also obtaining the services of a young Ross Brawn as the technical director. Having previously worked at March and Williams, Brawn had just completed a two-year spell at the Haas Lola Formula 1 team.

Brawn rendered the disappointing Arrows A9 of the 1986 season a distant memory with his freshly designed Arrows A10. The very effective machine proved competitive for two seasons, even though the team was forced to run Megatron-badged four-cylinder turbo engines. Derived from the successful BMW 'four', the Megatron engine struggled with the now mandatory blow-off valve used to restrict turbo boost levels. The valve often opened early, muzzling the engine even further. This was not addressed until well into the 1988 season, which was instantly rewarded with a third and fourth for Cheever and Warwick in the Italian Grand Prix.

A sweeping regulation change saw the hugely powerful turbo engines outlawed. They were replaced in 1989 by atmospheric engines with a maximum displacement of 3,500 cc. This put a renewed emphasis on aerodynamic efficiency and prompted Brawn to start with a clean sheet of paper for the all-new Arrows A11. The result was a relatively narrow carbon-fibre composite monocoque chassis with very shallow 'side-pods' to house the radiators. The suspension layout was carried over from the A10, with push-rods actuating the front springs, and dampers and pull-rods at the rear.

The engine cover was tightly draped over the customer specification Ford Cosworth DFR engine. The 3.5-litre V8 was officially rated at 605 bhp and was used as a fully stressed member of the chassis together with the proprietary Arrows gearbox. This was a transverse design that used Hewland internals and had six forward gears. Stopping power was provided by carbon-fibre composite discs supplied by AP Racing. The Arrows A11 was liveried in the USF&G corporate colours of white and burgundy with a distinctly asymmetrical finish to the front wing.

Arrows retained the services of Warwick and Cheever, who partnered for a third consecutive season. The British team faced stiff competition from the McLaren, Williams and Ferrari teams, who all ran V10 or V12 engines that had been developed on a much larger budget. However, the A11 was incredibly competitive, with Warwick leading the race in Canada and ultimately scoring points in five Grands Prix. The absolute highlight of the year was a podium finish for Cheever in his home Grand Prix on the streets of Phoenix, Arizona.

It was all change at the end of the year with both drivers and designer Brawn leaving the Arrows team and Japanese logistics company Footwork coming in as the primary sponsor. The one consistent factor was the A11 itself, which received minor suspension updates and a fresh coat of paint to become the A11B used in 1990. Only two points were scored that year, thanks to Alex Caffi's fifth place finish in Monaco. It was expected to be an interim year with the long coveted works engine deal finally looming for 1991. Sadly, the Footwork backed Porsche V12 was hapless at best, resulting in a very disappointing season.

The Arrows A11 Cosworth was the team's first foray in the new 3.5-litre era and, thanks to combined talents of Brawn, Warwick and Cheever, represented the marque’s most successful chapter. 

Chassis 02

The second of five A11 chassis constructed for the 1989 season, chassis A11-02 was used in twelve of the sixteen grands prix throughout the year. The car was allocated to Derek Warwick for eleven of these races. He started the year very well in chassis A11-02, with back-to-back fifth place finishes in Brazil and San Marino. After a string of three retirements, Warwick lined up twelfth for the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. The race was run under very wet conditions, which eliminated much of the power advantage by the rival teams. Warwick excelled and moved into the lead during lap 35 and, although he retired due to his engine expiring, it demonstrated the A11’s genuine pace against formidable opposition.

After incurring a minor injury in a karting accident after the Canadian Grand Prix, Warwick was ruled out for the French Grand Prix. His place behind the wheel of A11-02 was filled by rising British F3 and Formula 3000 driver Martin Donnelly. Although he impressively out-qualified Cheever, he would start his Formula 1 debut from the pitlane. Fighting his way up from the back, Donnelly finished an outstanding 12th. From the British Grand Prix, Warwick was back in the driving seat of chassis A11-02. He had better luck, finishing in each of his next four outings in this car. Highlights were a sixth place in the German Grand Prix and another points finish in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps. The final outing came at the Portuguese Grand Prix where Warwick failed to finish.

Not used again after the 1989 season, chassis A11-02 was retained by the Arrows team for several years before it was sold to New Zealand. It then spent many years as a non-running show car. During the mid-2010s, it moved to Belgium and was made fully functional again by Formula 1 restoration specialists Officina Caira. A period-correct Ford Cosworth DFR engine was sourced from and rebuilt by Nicholson McLaren especially for this car. Chassis A11-02 returned to the track for the first time in nearly 30 years during the 2019 Minardi Days held during April in Imola. 

In July of the same year, chassis A11-02 was acquired by our vendor with the intention of having the car comprehensively rebuilt (including repairs to the rear-end which sustained damage during the Imola test). At the same time, he also bought chassis A11-03 directly from Jackie Oliver so some of the expenses could be spread over two cars. The work was entrusted to former Arrows mechanics Kevin Drew and Andy Thackham who worked on these cars in period. First order of business were the rear-end repairs, which included the construction of a new case for the transverse gearbox from scratch. At the same time several upgrades were made to the car to make it more straightforward to run. These included a new flywheel, alternator, wiring loom and dashboard. A switch was also made to an electric fuel pump.

Since the work was completed, chassis A11-02 has been driven on several occasions by the vendor as well as professional historic racer, Nick Padmore. The very rapid Englishman famously used this very car to set the fastest ever lap around the Goodwood Motor Circuit. During the 2020 Goodwood Speedweek, he clocked a time of one minute and nine seconds. 

For an article in the October, 2023 edition of Motorsport Magazine chassis A11-02 was reunited with Derek Warwick, Ross Brawn and Jackie Oliver. It was driven on track by Warwick together with A11-03, which was also provided by the vendor. The article was written by highly respected motorsport journalist and former Motorsport Magazine editor Damien Smith. Recounting his memories of the day, Damien recalled how special it was to have the two cars together on track with many of the key people involved, and noted the tremendous affection with which the cars were held by those present, especially from Ross Brawn.

Chassis A11-02 and A11-03 are now offered as a pair or separately with a comprehensive spares package. This includes wheels, gearbox internals and casings, a driveshaft and a wide variety of suspension components. Submitted to three rounds of crack testing, including one to the latest FIA standards for the carbon tub, chassis A11-02 is accompanied by an Historic Technical Passport that has been issued in accordance with the new JR1 classification and is valid until 2035. The gearbox has seen minimal use and the engine has covered approximately 200 miles since its most recent rebuild.

With four top six finishes, chassis A11-02 scored six of the seven points scored by Warwick during the 1989 Formula 1 World Championship. It also holds the distinction of being the absolute lap record holder around the Goodwood Motor Circuit. 

Chassis 03

Allocated to Eddie Cheever at the start of the 1989 Formula 1 World Championship, A11-03 is the third of five A11 chassis produced by Arrows. At the season opener at the Brazilian Grand Prix, the American qualified the car 24th, with a collision on lap 37 ending his charge early. During the next three races, he gradually improved his qualifying and finished just outside the points, in seventh, at both the Monaco and Mexican Grands Prix.

Next up was Cheever’s home Grand Prix in the United States, made even more special, as it was held in his hometown of Phoenix. It was also an important race for Arrow's primary sponsor USF&G, based in the United States. Cheever did not disappoint and achieved his best starting position of the season, setting the 17th fastest time in chassis A11-03. During the race, Cheever fought valiantly to get a great result, batting with Ivan Capelli and Riccardo Patrese throughout. He finally had to cede second place to the Renault engined Williams but scored a fabulous podium finish. It would turn out to be the best result for the team all year.

Cheever raced chassis A11-03 three more times that year. He had an engine failure in Canada, finished ninth in Spain and spun out of the Australian Grand Prix. Not seen again after the 1989 season, it was retained by Jackie Oliver and stored with a friend until July 2019. Still in highly original condition, it was acquired by our vendor, who purchased chassis A11-02 at the same time. Both cars were entrusted for a full rebuild to former Arrows mechanics Kevin Drew and Andy Thackham.

When acquired from Oliver, chassis A11-03 featured a beautifully preserved nose, wing assembly, bodywork and rear wing. In the middle of 2021, the vendor decided to rebuild the car to full running order. The non-running engine was replaced with a fully rebuilt Ford Cosworth DFR V8 that had been sourced from T-Max. Many of the original components, including the bespoke Arrows gearbox casing could be re-used. Chassis A11-03 also still sports its original paint and decals and uses the original Dymag wheels.

Once the work was completed, the car was demonstrated by our vendor as well as professional racing driver Nick Padmore during events at Donington, Spa Francorchamps and Silverstone. For an article in the October, 2023 issue of Motorsport magazine, chassis A11-02 and A11-03 were reunited with Jackie Oliver, Ross Brawn and Derek Warwick. Both cars were beautifully photographed together.

Today, chassis A11-03 is offered by its first private owner as a package with sister-chassis A11-02 or individually.

Chassis A11-03 is also accompaniedby a valid FIA Historic Technical Passport to the latest JR1 classification (which tests the carbon-fibre chassis for structural defects). The Cosworth DFR V8 has completed less than 200 miles.

The opportunity to acquire what is effectively a complete Formula 1 team with two cars that raced in the same Grands Prix in period does not come by very often. Offered with a valid HTP, chassis A11-03 is presented in highly original condition and a welcome entrant for Masters Demo Legends and also Caira’s Historic F1 demonstrations, supporting contemporary Formula One grand prix weekends.

• ilt in 2025 by Kevin Drew with 0 miles

Fuel Cell Certification:

• A11-02: Expiry date: June 2028
• A11-03: Expiry date: August 2026

Seatbelts:

• A11-02: Expiry date: 2028
• A11-03: Expiry date: 2026

Fire Extinguisher:

• A11-02: Recertified September 2025
• A11-03: Needs to be recertified

Technical Specification

• Category: Formula 1
• Chassis: Carbon monocoque
• Engine: 3,494cc, 16 valve, Ford DFR naturally aspirated V8
• Gearbox: Arrows six-speed manual transmission, Hewland Components
• Front suspension: Double wishbones, coil springs, adjustable telescopic dampers, adjustable shims and threads, adjustable anti-roll bar
• Rear suspension:
• A11-02: Double wishbones, coil springs, adjustable telescopic dampers, adjustable shims, and threads, adjustable wishbone pick-up and spring platform
• A11-03: Double wishbones, coil springs, adjustable telescopic dampers, adjustable shims, and threads, adjustable wishbone pick-up   
• Brakes: AP ventilated carbon ceramic discs
• Weight: TBC
• Tyres: Avon racing slicks/wets

Eligibility

Masters Demo Legends

Introduced in 2025, Masters Demo Legends series caters for Formula One cars from 1985 all the way into the 2010s. Holding a number of demonstrations throughout the year, these demos take place at some iconic circuits, including Paul Ricard, Monza and Mugello.

Caira Historic Formula One Demonstrations

For historic Formula One Cars from a wide range of eras, Caira’s historic Formula One demonstrations hold a wide range of demonstration events. ese demonstrations take place on contemporary Grand Prix weekends, giving owners a substantial amount of track time on the full Grand Prix circuit across the length of the weekend.

AGS Racing – F1 ’90s Owners Club

For Formula One Cars built from 1972 to 1999, AGS Racing’s F1 ’90s Owners Club. Holding a number of demonstrations at events, as well as track days, drivers get to experience iconic circuits, including Paul Ricard, Imola and Mugello.

Spare Parts

These cars are being offered with a spares package, including sets of wheels, various pieces of bodywork, wishbones and running equipment.

Full list available upon request.

Location & Tax Status

Car Location: Both cars are located at our Petersfield showrooms in Hampshire, United Kingdon where viewings are welcome by appointment.

Taxes: UK

Sam Says

“For me, the 3.5-litre grand prix cars of the late 1980s and early 1990s are among the most beautifully proportioned racing cars ever created, and Ross Brawn’s Arrows A11 is a perfect example. With the huge affection these cars have always inspired, it feels inevitable that they will soon become eligible for a dedicated race series or class. Meanwhile owners are already spoiled with a fabulous calendar of high-profile demonstration opportunities.”