Alan Jones 1987 Toyota 87c Launch «Premium Quality»

Jones was "snapped up" by Toyota following the demise of the Beatrice F1 team, finding the lucrative offer to race in Japan attractive due to the lack of jet lag and favorable travel from Australia.

: The 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans was a failure for the team. The car shared by Jones, Lees, and Eje Elgh retired after only 19 laps when Jones coasted to a halt out of fuel, just a kilometre short of the pits due to a team miscalculation. Alan Jones' Perspective

Despite the Fuji victory, Jones later reflected on the Toyota 87C in a July 2000 interview as the . He was critical of the car's ergonomics and technical quirks, such as windshield wipers that smeared the glass to the point of zero visibility. ALAN JONES 1987 TOYOTA 87C LAUNCH

: The 87C debuted at the Suzuka 500 km, where Alan Jones and Geoff Lees secured a third-place finish.

The 87C was an evolution of previous Dome-built designs, featuring several technical advancements aimed at competing with dominant European marques like Porsche and Jaguar. Jones was "snapped up" by Toyota following the

: The engine produced approximately 680 bhp in qualifying trim. Despite this power, the car suffered from insufficient downforce, which made it less competitive on high-speed circuits like Le Mans. Racing Debut and 1987 Season

: Built on a sheet-aluminium monocoque with a honeycomb core and carbon-fibre reinforcements. The bodywork was designed with large frontal air-intakes and ground-effect tunnels to improve performance. Alan Jones' Perspective Despite the Fuji victory, Jones

: The highlight of the season for Jones was a victory at the Fuji 1000 km in May. Alongside Lees and Masanori Sekiya, Jones won in torrential rain—a race he later recalled as "surviving the chaos" on a track that didn't drain properly.