AGS JH27 Ford-Cosworth DFR

   Automobiles Gonfaronnaises Sportives 1991: The Final Act. This could be the summary of the final Formula 1 season for the small French team that made it to the top tier in 1986, fulfilling the dream of Henri Julien. At the beginning of the 1991 season, AGS, by then entirely in the hands of Cyril de Rouvre, was on the brink of bankruptcy, with no sponsor capable of covering even basic operational costs, let alone the development of the car. The only budget available came from the personal sponsors of the initially signed drivers, Swedish Stefan Johansson and Italian Gabriele Tarquini, and it was enough only for the first two American races of the season.

AGS JH27, Gabriele Tarquini
Estoril, Portuguese GP 1991 

   This difficult situation prevented technical director Michel Costa from completing the construction of the new "JH26", a project that never left the French engineer’s desk. The team was forced to begin the season with a slightly revised version of the previous year’s car, renamed the JH25B, perhaps more to lift team morale than due to any significant technical updates. For the first races of 1991, the car abandoned its elegant black livery from 1990 in favor of an anonymous white scheme with blue accents. Although the bodywork remained unchanged, this gave the car a completely different appearance at first glance. After the two races on the American continent, the situation for the French outfit became desperate. In a last-ditch effort to avoid collapse, De Rouvre hastily began talks with Larrousse in an attempt to merge the two teams. But when even this desperate plan failed, the team declared bankruptcy. Only the intervention of Italian businessmen Patrizio Cantù and Gabriele Rafanelli, who took over de Rouvre’s shares, saved the small team at the last minute. The new Italian ownership, which took over before the Imola Grand Prix, attempted to relaunch AGS with fresh reinforcements.

AGS JH25B, Fabrizio Barbazza
Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1991

   Patrizio Cantù already owned the Crypton Engineering team, which competed in the European Formula 3000 Championship, and he turned to Crypton to find the resources to revive the former French outfit. Chief among these was engineer Christian Vanderpleyn, already known in Formula 1 for having designed and built all AGS cars from 1970 to 1988 before moving on to Coloni, Rial, and Dallara, and finally joining Crypton in 1990 as a race engineer. From the Italian team also came aerodynamicist Mario Tollentino, who also had experience in F1 during the 1980s, having worked with Chiti and Ducarouge on the Alfa Romeo Turbo and more recently with EuroBrun and BMS-Dallara. Italian driver Fabrizio Barbazza, who raced for Crypton in Formula 3000, was also promoted to a full-time F1 seat, replacing Stefan Johansson, while Gabriele Tarquini retained his role as lead driver. The new line-up made its debut at the third race of the season and the first European round, held at Imola, still using the outdated JH25B and the same plain white-and-blue livery.

AGS JH27, Olivier Grouillard
Catalunya-Barcelona, Spanish GP 1991

   Only mid-season, with the arrival of a few small sponsors, did the car change colors, turning blue with yellow and red accents. Meanwhile, Vanderpleyn and Tollentino shelved Michel Costa's "JH26" project, Costa had left the team, and designed a new car, the JH27. It reflected new aerodynamic trends, featuring a slightly raised nose and less curvaceous lines compared to its JH25 sister, designs that, at least on paper, were more effective in terms of downforce. Two chassis, numbered 047 and 048 (since 045 and 046 were probably reserved for the never-built JH26), were constructed, fine-tuned, and ready only by summer, making their debut at Monza. Unfortunately, results remained disappointing, and lead driver Tarquini chose to leave the team after the Portuguese Grand Prix to join Fondmetal.

AGS JH25B, Gabriele Tarquini 
Hungaroring, Hungarian GP 1991

   His place was taken by Frenchman Olivier Grouillard, who had just come from Fondmetal, and he lined up for the Spanish Grand Prix, AGS's final race. The chronic lack of sponsors and funds ultimately forced the team to withdraw, and it closed down before the following race. Although Barbazza was entered as a sole driver, the team did not show up, ending a six-season story with only two points finishes: sixth place by Roberto Moreno in Australia in 1987, and another sixth by Tarquini in Mexico in 1989.