Toyota would sell 2010 car design – report
It was reported last week that the completed TF110 was for sale, but an official of the Japanese outfit declined to comment.
The Swiss publication Blick reports that a new team made an approach about buying Toyota's 2009 single seater, but the "enquiry was rejected".
Blick speculated that the identity of the enquiring team may have been Lotus.
11/13/09 (GMM) Toyota on Friday declined to comment on reports that the design of its completed F1 car for 2010 is for sale.
A report in the French newspaper Le Parisien this week said the TF110 could be bought by one of the sport's remaining teams, following the Toyota Motor Corporation's decision to quit formula one immediately.
But when asked by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport to comment, a Toyota official in Japan declined.
The spokesman was more forthcoming about the future of Kamui Kobayashi, the Toyota backed rookie who looked likely to step up to a full race seat until the team's withdrawal was announced.
Toyota said the Japanese will remain under contract in its young driver program, but will be released if he finds an alternative F1 race seat.
"We will do what we can to give him the opportunity to drive in formula one, even if it means that he signs with another employer," the spokesman said.
He also seemed to confirm reports that Toyota's F1 factory in Cologne will not be sold or closed down but rather restructured to continue to serve as the marque's ongoing European motor racing headquarters.
"We plan to convert TMG (Toyota Motorsport GmbH) into a company that is the basis for Toyota motor sport in Europe," said the spokesman.
"The exact details are not decided yet," but he indicated that the size of the workforce will be reduced.
"For any employees who are no longer needed, we will prepare what we believe is a good package of retirement benefits and job placement assistance," said the Toyota official.
11/12/09 (GMM) Toyota's completed 2010 formula one car design, codenamed the TF110, is reportedly available for purchase by other teams.
The French newspaper Le Parisien said that despite the Japanese manufacturer deciding to pull out of F1 immediately, its Cologne based team had designed a car for next season.
USF1 and Manor would be the most likely potential customers, given that fellow new entrant Lotus is working with Aerolab on its 2010 car, and the Dallara-built Campos chassis has already passed its front and lateral FIA crash tests.
Meanwhile, development of Sauber/Qadbak's car has been continuous despite BMW's withdrawal, and although Toro Rosso must for the first time be a full constructor in 2010, work on the Faenza based team's next car is well advanced.
It is also believed that the car design of the rejected 2010 entrant Lola is for sale, after a 50 per cent scale wind tunnel model dubbed the MB-01 was revealed recently.
"We don't know about that," Lola Group managing director Robin Brundle told racecar-engineering.com, "simply because nobody has approached us so we have not discussed it."