From Rondel-Cosworth RJ42 to Token RJ02 story
F1 history is filled with cars that were designed, built and tested, only to disappear before reaching the starting grid. That is what we do here at CarsRave, bringing forgotten projects from the past back to life. Our next topic is the Rondel-Cosworth RJ42. Other forgotten projects can be found in our What Could Have Been category, while teams that actually raced are in our Forgotten F1 Teams category.
Yet the RJ42 didn’t simply disappear, the unfinished car was acquired, completed and eventually entered F1 as the Token RJ02.
In doing so, the car that had been intended to establish Rondel Racing in F1 became part of the short-lived Token Racing story and helped launch the F1 career of Tom Pryce.
It’s one of those fascinating F1 ‘what if’ stories where the original dream failed, but the car itself survived.
Rondel-Cosworth RJ42 project and the move into F1
Rondel Racing was established by Ron Dennis and Neil Trundle, two former Brabham mechanics who had already built a strong reputation in the junior categories, during the early 1970s, Rondel was particularly successful in Formula Two, the team’s ambitions, however, went beyond F2, like many ambitious teams of the period, the ultimate goal was to reach F1.
By 1973, those plans were becoming increasingly serious, rather than simply purchasing an existing F1 chassis, Rondel decided to develop its own car, designer Ray Jessop was commissioned to create the new machine, which became known as the RJ42.
The car was designed around one of the most successful widely used engines of the era, the 3.0-litre Ford Cosworth DFV8, at the time, the DFV gave independent teams a realistic opportunity to compete in F1 without having to develop their own engine.
The Rondel F1 Project: Why it failed
The Rondel F1 project had financial backing from Motul, which was expected to play an important role in supporting the team’s move into F1, then came the 1973 oil crisis.
The global energy crisis had enormous economic consequences, and motorsport wasn’t immune, Motul withdrew its financial support from the Rondel F1 project, leaving the team without the resources required to complete its plans.
The timing was particularly painful because the RJ42 was already well advanced, instead of making final preparations for its F1 debut, Rondel found itself unable to continue, the team was forced to wind down its F1 ambitions, and Ron Dennis eventually moved on from the project.
For a car that had been designed specifically to take Rondel Racing into F1, the future suddenly looked very simple, the RJ42 might never race at all, but the story didn’t end there!
From Rondel RJ42 to Token RJ02
The collapse of Rondel Racing created an opportunity for two businessmen, Tony Vlassopulos and Ken Rob, the acquired the remaining assets of the project, inclduing unfinished F1 chassis, and began putting together a new operation.
The new team was called Token Racing, they didn’t abandon the work that Rondel had already completed.
The unfinished RJ42 was taken over and completed, effectively giving the original Rondel F1 project a second chance at life, the car was renamed the Token RJ02 and prepared for F1 competition.
The dream had changed names, but much of the original engineering remained!
Note: While we have previously shared an article about the Token F1 team, we do not want to go into more detail about it here. If you want to read the full story of Token Racing, you can read it here.
Why the Rondel RJ42 Is Not Really an “Unraced Car”
The Rondel RJ42 is sometimes included among F1 projects that never raced, and technically that description makes sense if we are talking specifically about the Rondel Racing entry.
Rondel Racing never entered a race with the RJ42, but the physical car itself did, that distinction is important.
The chassis that Rondel had been building was acquired by the people behind Token and completed, it was then entered as the Token RJ02, in other words, the original Rondel dream failed, but the car created for that dream survived long enough to compete.
This puts the car in a fascinating category between an unraced prototype and a conventional racing car, the Rondel RJ42 never raced as a Rondel, but its physical successor, the TOKEN RJ02, did compete in F1.
Another project of 90s: Ikuzawa F1 Project that failed
From Token to Safir
The car’s story didn’t end with Token Racing either, following Token’s brief F1 involvement, the proejct changed hands again in 1975 when it passed to Safir Engineering.
The car subsequently associated with the Safir RJ02, continuing the remarkable journey of a chassis that had originally been conceived for Rondel Racing.
The Rondel-Cosworth RJ42 Story in Perspective
The RJ42 is a reminder that F1 history isn’t only about championship-winning cars and famous teams, behind the established names were dozens of ambitious projects that depended on sponsorship, investment and timing.
Rondel Racing came remarkably close to becoming a F1 constructor, its RJ42 was designed around the Cosworth DFV, and the project had the backing needed to make the step into F1.
What could have become the first F1 car of Rondel Racing instead became the foundation of another team’s brief F1 adventure, that’s why the Rondel-Cosworth RJ42 deserves a place among F1’s forgotten projects, it was a failed dream, but not a forgotten machine!
Rondel name never appeared on the F1 grid with the RJ42, but the car that carried that dream did.
Similar Content: The Berta F1 project of the 1970s also failed to race Formula One. If you want more forgotten stories, explore our What Could Have Been category.
