This is a Honda RA001E V10 F1 engine from 2001, unusually it was used during the season by both the BAR-Honda and Jordan teams, and it’s now for sale mounted to a display stand with its internals removed.
The RA series of Honda Formula 1 engines were one of the most enduring engine designs in modern F1 history. The naturally-aspirated design was originally developed in 1987 and 1988 to replace the wild turbocharged engines that had characterized much of the 1980s.
Honda enjoyed significant success with the 3.5 liter RA V10 from the get go, it would propel the McLaren team to its 4th Constructors’ Championship of the 1980s in its first year of competition – 1989.
The just to prove it wasn’t a fluke McLaren and the Honda RA V10 won the Constructors’ Championship again the next year in 1990.
This is the 3.0 liter version of the RA V10, named the RA001E. It was built for the 2001 season, it has four valves per cylinder with a pneumatic valve system, and it produces 830 bhp at 17,900 rpm in qualifying tune with 815 bhp in race tune.
Engine development was signed over to Mugen Motorsports in 1991, a performance and turning company that operates in a similar way to M for BMW or AMG for Mercedes-Benz.
Mugen would both develop and produce the engine throughout the 1990s for a number of F1 teams including Footwork, Arrows, Lotus, Ligier, Tyrrell, Prost, and Jordan.
In the late 1990s Honda became involved in the development once again, likely as they were in talks to reenter officially as the sole engine supplier for British American Racing. BAR was then bought out by Honda in 2006, becoming the official team.
Now presented without its internals, this engine is fitted to a display stand for presentation purposes. It includes the block, heads, exhaust manifolds, and intake.
The Honda RA series of engines would remain in service from 1989 until 2005 in both 3.5 and 3.0 liter displacements, the engines were significantly developed over this time of course with later examples producing over 830 bhp at 17,900 rpm in qualifying tune.
As mentioned above this engine was used by two Formula 1 teams during the 2001 season, BAR-Honda and Jordan, presumably with a rebuild taking place between them as these engines were typically rebuilt every 1,200 kms.
With its pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft, and valves all removed, the engine now consists of a block, two heads, an intake and exhaust system – from the outside at least it looks complete and it’s mounted to a display stand.
If you’d like to read more about this engine or register to bid you can visit the listing here on Collecting Cars, it’s being offered for sale out of Vriezenveen in the Netherlands.
Images courtesy of Collecting Cars
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