The story of AGS began in the 1950s in Gonfaron, in Provence, southern France, where a young Julien Henri worked as a car mechanic at his service station, “Garage de l'Avenir.” Julien soon decided to devote himself more seriously to his passion for motor racing, even taking up a part-time role as an amateur driver. It was from this passion, and the success of his business, that he chose to transform his service station into a workshop-atelier for preparing racing cars, which he named Automobiles Gonfaronnaises Sportives (AGS). Encouraged by his friend and partner Christian Vanderpleyn, he seized the opportunity to compete in the newly founded Formula France championship and, starting in 1968, AGS began building its own open-wheel single-seaters, labeling the chassis with Henri’s initials.
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| AGS JH21C, Ivan Capelli Estoril, Portuguese GP 1986 |
The first AGS-branded chassis was named JH1 and was designed by Vanderpleyn who, after years working alongside Henri as a mechanic, would go on to design nearly every AGS car until his untimely death in 1992. In 1969, with the “JH1” driven by François Rabbioni, AGS made its debut in the new French racing series, although without notable success. However, over time, AGS became one of the most interesting “artisan” outfits in French motorsport, increasingly active in various categories, particularly Formula Renault and Formula 3. In 1978, the team entered Formula 2 with driver Richard Dallest, who had already shown promise with AGS in Formula Renault. After two years of lackluster results, Dallest scored two historic wins for AGS in 1980 with the JH15, at Pau and Zandvoort.
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| AGS JH21C, Ivan Capelli Monza, Italian GP 1986 |
In 1982, young drivers Pascal Fabre and Philippe Streiff joined the team. Over the next three seasons, AGS achieved several podium finishes with Streiff, finishing fourth in the standings in both 1983 and 1984. In 1985, Formula 2 was replaced by Formula 3000. AGS entered the new series but failed to achieve meaningful results. However, the experience inspired Julien Henri to take the leap into Formula 1, especially considering the high operating costs of a Formula 3000 team. Good relations with Renault management allowed the French constructor to acquire the chassis 031 from the 1983 Renault RE40. From this, Christian Vanderpleyn, assisted by designer Michel Costa, began developing the new AGS JH21, a single-seater assembled to compete in the 1986 Formula 1 World Championship.
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| AGS JH21C, Ivan Capelli Monza, Italian GP 1986 |
The carbon monocoque Renault chassis also came with pull-rod suspension and a modified Hewland gearbox by Renault technicians. However, unable to access the French turbocharged V6 engine, Henri opted for the more economical 615/90 V6 turbo from Motori Moderni, designed by Carlo Chiti and already used by Minardi. The JH21, with a wheelbase of 2830 mm and a weight of 560 kg, underwent several tests and modifications throughout the season. By the time it finally hit the track at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, it was already in its “C” version. Notably, the first driver to test the JH21 was Frenchman Didier Pironi, who returned to a Formula 1 cockpit four years after the horrific crash at Hockenheim that had ended his racing career.
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| AGS JH21C, Ivan Capelli Monza, Italian GP 1986 |
After testing the car at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet, Pironi decided not to continue, leaving the seat to the young Italian driver and F1 rookie Ivan Capelli. Under the name “AGS Jolly Club,” the small French team began its Formula 1 adventure on September 7th in Monza. In 1986, the team competed in only two races: the Italian Grand Prix and the following Portuguese Grand Prix. In both events, they qualified in 25th position but were forced to retire due to mechanical failures.
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