1984 Toleman TG184-02 Formula One Chassis Now Available
Mouse Motors now offers for sale a 1984 Toleman TG184 — Chassis 02, a period Formula One car from Toleman’s final season as an independent team. This car is one of the small number of TG184 tubs built by the Banbury operation, which introduced the model mid‑season as a clean-aero replacement for the TG183B under the 1984 turbo and fuel-cap regulations. Chassis 02 served as Ayrton Senna’s primary car at the Monaco Grand Prix, where it delivered Toleman’s first F1 podium with second place in heavy rain, and at the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, where it finished third. The same chassis later achieved fourth at the Italian Grand Prix in the hands of Stefan Johansson and also worked as T-car at several European rounds, illustrating its central role in the compressed TG184 program. This example therefore sits at the intersection of Toleman’s late turbo-era development efforts and the early headline results that shaped its transition toward the Benetton era.
Technical & Historical Significance
The TG184 architecture uses a carbon-fibre honeycomb monocoque, derived from the TG183B tub but re-laminated around key bulkheads for stiffness and packaging, with a wheelbase of about 2,800 mm and front/rear tracks of 1,765 mm and 1,676 mm respectively. Longer sidepods with vertically mounted radiators and intercoolers, combined with louvered exits, improved cooling margin for the turbo power unit while keeping airflow to the rear wing clean, and a conventional one-piece front wing replaced the previous radiator-fed nose to reduce porpoising and improve low-speed stability. Power comes from Brian Hart’s compact 1.5-litre 415T inline‑four turbo, installed as a stressed member with vertical intercoolers, Agip fuel, and simple electronic control strategies to manage boost and fuel within the 220 L race limit, all mated to a longitudinal Hewland five-speed manual gearbox. Suspension uses double wishbones with pull-rod front and push-rod rear, inboard coil-over dampers, and adjustable anti-roll bars, while braking is via ventilated discs and period carbon options, with Michelin tyres adopted after a mid-season switch from Pirelli. Introduced at the 1984 French GP, the TG184 went on to score three podiums that year—Monaco (P2), Great Britain (P3), and Portugal (P3)—amassing 16 Constructors’ points for Toleman, with chassis 02 central to that run before its frontline duties ended at the close of the season.
Market Position & Relevance
Chassis 02 carries documented provenance: raced by Senna to second at Monaco and third at Brands Hatch in 1984, used as T-car at Hockenheim, Österreichring, Zandvoort and Monza, then raced by Stefan Johansson to fourth at the Italian Grand Prix before being gifted to him in 1985. It has been retained in private hands since 1994, with sources noting that it preserved a high degree of originality and period patina prior to a later full restoration by Paul Lanzante Ltd that included an engine rebuild, new suspension, extensive body repairs, and hand-painted Candy logos by Gabriel de Meurville to return the car to its 1984 Monaco/Brands specification. Toleman produced only a small number of TG184 tubs, and each chassis had to cover race, test, and spare duties for the team, which underlines the relative scarcity of well-documented survivors such as this example. Chassis 02 has appeared at auctions and historic displays, including Autosport International, where it is used as a reference example of mid‑1980s small-team turbo architecture and packaging, and auction houses emphasize its dual Senna/Johansson pedigree and preserved carbon tub. Documented commentary describes TG184‑02 as one of the most sought-after non-winning F1 chassis of its decade, with interest rising in parallel with renewed attention to turbo-era engineering, which positions this car as a significant and visible entry in the market for period Formula One machinery.
