Alan Jones 1987 Toyota 87c Launch Online

Jones was "snapped up" by Toyota following the demise of the Beatrice F1 team, finding the lucrative offer to race in Japan attractive due to the lack of jet lag and favorable travel from Australia.

: The 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans was a failure for the team. The car shared by Jones, Lees, and Eje Elgh retired after only 19 laps when Jones coasted to a halt out of fuel, just a kilometre short of the pits due to a team miscalculation. Alan Jones' Perspective ALAN JONES 1987 TOYOTA 87C LAUNCH

: The 87C debuted at the Suzuka 500 km, where Alan Jones and Geoff Lees secured a third-place finish. Jones was "snapped up" by Toyota following the

The 87C was an evolution of previous Dome-built designs, featuring several technical advancements aimed at competing with dominant European marques like Porsche and Jaguar. Alan Jones' Perspective : The 87C debuted at

: It utilized a 2.1-litre, 4-cylinder turbocharged engine (designated 3S-GTM), based on a production block but featuring a bespoke 16-valve aluminium head.

: The engine produced approximately 680 bhp in qualifying trim. Despite this power, the car suffered from insufficient downforce, which made it less competitive on high-speed circuits like Le Mans. Racing Debut and 1987 Season

: Built on a sheet-aluminium monocoque with a honeycomb core and carbon-fibre reinforcements. The bodywork was designed with large frontal air-intakes and ground-effect tunnels to improve performance.