Toward the end of 1983, Giancarlo Minardi, the team manager from Faenza who was already participating in the European Formula 2 Championship with his own team, decided that his Minardi Team was ready to take the big leap into the Formula 1 World Championship. His was certainly a daring challenge, given the level of competition and, above all, the staggering rise in costs at the time due to the advent of turbocharged engines.
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| MINARDI M184 with Giancarlo Minardi |
Minardi's path crossed with that of Alfa Romeo when the Faenza native wrote a letter to President Ettore Massacesi requesting a meeting. During this meeting, he formally presented a proposal to purchase the Milan-based Formula 1 team for a total price of 1.8 billion Italian lire (approximately €935,000 at the time). The offer was declined as Alfa Romeo already had a preliminary agreement with Gianpaolo Pavanello’s Euroracing team. Consequently, the Faenza constructor left the premises of the legendary Milanese marque with only a promise of a supply of the V8 turbo engine for the 1985 season.
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| MINARDI M184, Alessandro Nannini test at Misano Circuit |
With this as the foundation, the Minardi M184 project was launched and quickly brought to life under the guidance of engineer Giacomo Caliri. After being unveiled to the public in mid-July 1984, the car was immediately taken to the Misano Adriatico circuit for multiple test sessions with young Italian driver Alessandro Nannini, who was already racing with Minardi in Formula 2.
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| MINARDI M184, Alessandro Nannini test at Misano Circuit |
The M184 featured a monocoque chassis made from an Avional aluminum sandwich with layers of carbon fiber and Kevlar. It had high sidepods to accommodate the large radiators of the Alfa Romeo V8 turbo, and a unique triple-plane rear wing with a single central support and lateral flaps. The beating heart of the new single-seater was the Alfa Romeo V8 Turbo. However, just as the Minardi-Alfa partnership was ready to begin, a cold and unexpected announcement came: President Massacesi informed them that the deal could not go ahead.
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| MINARDI M184 |
This was a major blow for the Faenza-based team, but for the unstoppable Giancarlo Minardi, it was too late to turn back or give up. The only option left was to modify the M184 to house the naturally aspirated Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 engine, with which the Italian team would start the 1985 season.
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