Life W12 rebuilt & fired up

The place for respectful and reverent discussion of Reject drivers and teams, whether profiled or not as yet
Post Reply
AxelP800
Posts: 1372
Joined: 29 Mar 2013, 16:01

Life W12 rebuilt & fired up

Post by AxelP800 »

This video here

A video was uploaded on JUne 2014 about a restoration of the reject Life L190 in 2009, complete with engine starting :shock: :shock: :shock: Beautiful!
Rio Haryanto for the win!
He upon seeing me accidentaly paint Belgian flag rotated 90 deg to right
tommykl returns from the bathroom
tommykl reads the chat logs
tommykl has a stroke
User avatar
dinizintheoven
Posts: 3982
Joined: 09 Dec 2010, 01:24

Re: A Rebuild of Life and It's Engine

Post by dinizintheoven »

It seems James Allen's quote that stands proudly in my signature wasn't too wide of the mark. Though I reckon it sounds like a combination of a not-perfectly-tuned American pushrod V8 and a tractor...
James Allen, on his favourite F1 engine of all time:
"...the Life W12, I can't describe the noise to you, but imagine filling your dustbin with nuts and bolts, and then throwing it down the stairs, it was something akin to that!"
User avatar
watka
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 4097
Joined: 26 Apr 2009, 19:04
Location: Chessington, the former home of Brabham
Contact:

Re: A Rebuild of Life and It's Engine

Post by watka »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xos2MnVxe-c

Also, never noticed the Italy-USSR stickers before!
Watka - you know, the swimming horses guy
User avatar
dinizintheoven
Posts: 3982
Joined: 09 Dec 2010, 01:24

Re: Life W12 rebuilt & fired up

Post by dinizintheoven »

I always wondered what was going on with those. What exactly was PIC, anyway, and is that Roman or (Ukrainian/Belarusian) Cyrillic characters?
James Allen, on his favourite F1 engine of all time:
"...the Life W12, I can't describe the noise to you, but imagine filling your dustbin with nuts and bolts, and then throwing it down the stairs, it was something akin to that!"
User avatar
Bobby Doorknobs
Posts: 4059
Joined: 30 Jul 2014, 17:52
Location: In a safe place.

Re: Life W12 rebuilt & fired up

Post by Bobby Doorknobs »

dinizintheoven wrote:I always wondered what was going on with those. What exactly was PIC, anyway, and is that Roman or (Ukrainian/Belarusian) Cyrillic characters?

I found this thread in the Autosport forums, one poster contributed this:
In August, 1990 the car arrived to the USSR together with Ernesto Vita to present the team in Moscow and Leningrad, as Vita has signed a sponsorship contract with Soviet company called Pic. Pic director, Mihail Pikovskiy, has promised to invest 20 million dollars and to provide some help from Soviet military industry with technologies. Vita has already placed Pic ads and Soviet flag (together with Italian, of course) on his cars and changed the team's name from Life to Life-Pic, but no money has been received.

This just makes me love the team even more :D
#FreeGonzo
User avatar
dinizintheoven
Posts: 3982
Joined: 09 Dec 2010, 01:24

Re: Life W12 rebuilt & fired up

Post by dinizintheoven »

And thus began a long line of Russian sponsors who promised much and delivered nothing...
James Allen, on his favourite F1 engine of all time:
"...the Life W12, I can't describe the noise to you, but imagine filling your dustbin with nuts and bolts, and then throwing it down the stairs, it was something akin to that!"
User avatar
Wallio
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 2624
Joined: 22 Feb 2012, 22:54
Location: The Wyoming Valley, PA

Re: Life W12 rebuilt & fired up

Post by Wallio »

Am I the only one who thinks it kinda sounded good? At least at low revs? (It does break up a bit at about 9k or so). In one of his books (The chariot makers IIRC) Steve Matchett mentions how he and a few other Benetton mechanics always rooted for life, simply because of how cool it sounded.
Professional Historian/Retired Drag Racer/Whiskey Enthusiast

"He makes the move on the outside, and knowing George as we do, he's probably on the radio right now telling the team how great he is." - James Hinchcliffe on George Russell
User avatar
golic_2004
Posts: 916
Joined: 22 Dec 2010, 02:53
Location: Atlanta
Contact:

Re: Life W12 rebuilt & fired up

Post by golic_2004 »

A quote from Maurizio, someone who WORKED for the team.

"It was the end of the season and almost the end for Life Racing Rngines. In such dire straits, Mr. Vita asked me to call (no kidding) Mika Hakkinen to offer him a test drive. Laughing my head off, so I did. I did not speak to him personally but his secretary kindly denied. I wonder why"


Mika Hakkinen?! My day has been made
The future McLaren http://imgur.com/sNFFMYF
User avatar
roblo97
Posts: 3847
Joined: 16 Sep 2012, 16:42
Location: my house \M/ (Brent Knoll)
Contact:

Re: Life W12 rebuilt & fired up

Post by roblo97 »

golic_2004 wrote:A quote from Maurizio, someone who WORKED for the team.

"It was the end of the season and almost the end for Life Racing Rngines. In such dire straits, Mr. Vita asked me to call (no kidding) Mika Hakkinen to offer him a test drive. Laughing my head off, so I did. I did not speak to him personally but his secretary kindly denied. I wonder why"


Mika Hakkinen?! My day has been made

Brilliant
Mexicola wrote:
shinji wrote:
Mexicola wrote: I'd rather listen to a dog lick its balls. Each to their own, I guess.

Does listening to a dog licking its balls get you excited?

That's between me and my internet service provider.

One of those journalist types.
270 Tube stations in 18:42:50!
User avatar
golic_2004
Posts: 916
Joined: 22 Dec 2010, 02:53
Location: Atlanta
Contact:

Re: Life W12 rebuilt & fired up

Post by golic_2004 »

roblomas52 wrote:
golic_2004 wrote:A quote from Maurizio, someone who WORKED for the team.

"It was the end of the season and almost the end for Life Racing Rngines. In such dire straits, Mr. Vita asked me to call (no kidding) Mika Hakkinen to offer him a test drive. Laughing my head off, so I did. I did not speak to him personally but his secretary kindly denied. I wonder why"


Mika Hakkinen?! My day has been made

Brilliant


I know! I had to make that quote my signature. It's too good not to and I am never going to delete it. You "wonder why"? ;)
The future McLaren http://imgur.com/sNFFMYF
Whiteshore
Posts: 165
Joined: 17 Aug 2015, 00:03

Re: Life W12 rebuilt & fired up

Post by Whiteshore »

Maybe the Soviet Sponsors failed to make the "Life" team gain money because in Soviet Russia, car drives you and maybe they got their Judd engines from Leyton House due to Giacomelli's connections with them?
Unafraid of the papaya!
User avatar
golic_2004
Posts: 916
Joined: 22 Dec 2010, 02:53
Location: Atlanta
Contact:

Re: Life W12 rebuilt & fired up

Post by golic_2004 »

(Oops, I had a ROTR moment posting this somewhere else :oops:)

Okay. I didn't read everything from the link in that forum, but now I did.


Maurizio posted while he was at The Goodwood Festival

"The irony of life (pun intended)...
In 1990, the mighty McLaren MP4 won 6 GPs and Ayrton Senna won the World Championship. Life's F190 failed to prequalify in every GP it entered. And it never finished the prequalifying in running state, either, for one reason or another.
In Goodwood 2009, the McLaren MP4 was sadly towed back to the pits with a broken differential, while the Life F190 made it twice to the top of the hill, and is better now than ever probably, like someone pointed out."

:lol: :lol: :lol: :D :D :D
My LIFE is complete (pun intended as well).
The future McLaren http://imgur.com/sNFFMYF
1993DonningtonNo1Mk2
Posts: 120
Joined: 24 Mar 2016, 22:37
Location: Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England
Contact:

Re: Life W12 rebuilt & fired up

Post by 1993DonningtonNo1Mk2 »

Sounds like a rusty chainsaw hooked up to an amplifier.
Post Reply