Around 2009/2010 I started my first research into the Phoenix Grand Prix project. At that time, I recalled that the Phoenix tried to rise from it’s Prost Grand Prix ashes and failed. It’s about that time that I saw the name Jon Hilton for the first time. My second research back in 2012/2013 brought me in contact with him. At the time of the Phoenix debacle, he worked for TWR at their engine facilities as a chief engineer. The details he shared with me about that insane and unrealistic time do give an interesting look in how hastily they tried to appear on the grid at Sepang.
Some background information about Jon Hilton. He started his career at Rolls-Royce where he worked on helicopter engines before he made his move to Cosworth in 1991 where he would stay until 1997. In 1998, he moved to the Arrows team from Tom Walkinshaw where he became chief engineer mostly focused on the development of the engines. In that year, Arrows powered their A19 with their “own” engine the T2-F1. This was in base a development of the Hart 1030 V10 engine. He would stay with Arrows until 2003 before moving to Renault. Where the team would mind the championship in 2005 and 2006 with Fernando Alonso. Insidesilverstone.co.uk has a nice podcast with him. Especially how they improved the Renault engines! He now is the Managing Director at Lunaz Design.
Sadly, I lost the origin al mails from back then as I contacted him via my now defunct website dutchgrandprixdrivers.nl. However, I have his reply documented and saved. I probably have asked him if it is correct he was working on the Phoenix Grand Prix project back in 2002, if so if he could share his thoughts and memories about that period. So he did.
Interestingly is that he started with the line that he was well presented on the list with Unraced projects. As he worked on the engine program for the Lola T97/30 with Ford. Also present at that strange weekend in Australia. As well, that he was involved within the Phoenix Grand Prix project.
As Tom Walkinshaw and Charles Nickerson (well TWR) acquired most of the assets from Prost Grand Prix in late February, they were in a hurry to bring cars on the grid at Sepang. Tom Walkinshaw told, not asked, Jon to spirit two engines out of thin air for the former Prost AP04 cars and have them running within two weeks. Obviously, this is an insane task, and there was only one option. Arrows had the AX-3 produced in 2001. These were show cars to drive fans (mostly with too much money) around the tracks. The two cars were sitting in a garage with working engines. These engines were the Arrows V10 engines (Hart V10’s from 1997), while the engines were old-ish they were able to sort out the electronics, cable-loom and the cooling and oil systems.
There was only one problem, fitting the Arrows V10 engines in the back of the Prost AP04. These cars were powered in 2001 by the Acer badged Ferrari engines a complete different engine, and the AP04 was not designed at all for the old-ish Arrows V10 engine which was also longer. Therefore, the wheelbase was different and the bodywork did not line up perfectly. While Jon himself was not involved with fitting the engine, he saw the solution the Arrows guys came up with at Leafield.
More or less the back of the Arrows AX3 was fitted now on the Prost AP04.
Jon Hilton believed the car looked unsafe and found it awful looking. He then personally brought Tom Walkinshaw over to the factory to show him what was going on now. Tom’s reaction was that in order to “apply” to the rules for qualifying the car or cars only needed to have a running engine in the garage. The cars got after this inspection shipped to Malaysia. It’s when Tom Walkinshaw told Jon Hilton that the cars maybe had to crawl around for just one slow lap. What eventually would happen with Arrows in Magny-Cours that year. The PGP AP04B (I assume it would be called) could have completed one slow lap, however no more according to Jon.
Two of his engineers flew to Malaysia to have the cars prepared in the pit box. However, denied access to the circuit. Neither were the cars that were shipped to Malaysia released for customs. It’s uncertain if his engineers flew then towards Brazil. As Phoenix Grand Prix was working on a move to appear on the grid at Brazil. Eventually, the project would soon after die quickly due to all it’s legal issues and the fact that they did not acquire Prost Grand Prix their entry. For a brief moment the team was called D.A.R.T. as well.
Arrows AX3 at Zandvoort 2017
