In 1983, Arrows was far from prosperous financially, due to modest results and the loss of sponsors that had supported the team over the previous two years. Jack Oliver's team, based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, was short on funding, and the rule changes enforced by the FIA in October 1982 didn’t help the British outfit. The ban on ground effect and the flat-bottom requirement between the front and rear axles rendered the A5, designed by Dave Wass in the summer of 1982 and used only in the final two races of the 1982 season, obsolete.
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| ARROWS A6, Marc Surer Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1983 |
Wass was thus forced to quickly develop a new car for the 1983 season. The resulting Arrows A6 was a close relative of the previous year’s car, modified only as required by the new regulations. It still featured an aluminum honeycomb chassis instead of the increasingly common carbon fiber, which was too costly for Arrows' limited budget. It retained the classic Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 engine and Hewland FGA 400 gearbox. For 1983, it ran on Goodyear tires, had a 2692 mm wheelbase, weighed 540 kg, and featured sidepods similar in shape and placement to those on the Williams, boxy and starting at cockpit level.
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| ARROWS A6, Marc Surer Brands Hatch, European GP 1983 |
The team’s financial constraints were evident even in the car’s livery, which changed frequently depending on the sponsor of the race, making the A6 one of the most visually inconsistent liveries in F1 history, rivaled perhaps only by some March cars of the 1970s.
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| ARROWS A6, Marc Surer Silverstone, British GP 1983 |
The team's lead driver for 1983 was Swiss driver Marc Surer, who, despite a less-than-ideal car, managed three points finishes in the first four races. The second car was driven by Brazilian pay driver Chico Serra until the Monaco GP, without notable results. After that, promising young Belgian driver Thierry Boutsen took over.
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| ARROWS A6, Thierry Boutsen Zandvoort, Dutch GP 1983 |
Only at the second round of the season, in Long Beach, was the second A6 driven by former World Champion Alan Jones, mainly for sponsorship reasons. The Australian qualified a decent 12th, but retired from the race while running in 9th. Overall, the 1983 season was very disappointing for Arrows. The 4 points scored by Surer early on were the team’s only points that year. Due to financial struggles, the A6 continued to be used in part of the 1984 season, despite its lack of competitiveness.
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