Page 1 of 1 With the A2 of 1979, Arrows pushed the ground-effect envelop a little too far. It had been designed to run without wings and did generate a lot of downforce but lacked the balance to handle properly. Understandably, Arrows designers Tony Southgate and David Wass laid out a much more conventional machine for the 1980 season.
Dubbed the A3, the new Arrows was a relatively compact machine built around an aluminium monocoque chassis, which used the ubiquitous Cosworth DFV engine as a fully stressed member. In-board suspension was fitted on all four corners to allow for the largest possible ground-effect tunnels. These generated a vast majority of the car's downforce with the front and rear wings used mainly to fine-tune the overall balance.
Arrows retained the driving services of Jochen Mass and Riccardo Patrese and also continued its sponsorship agreement with Warsteiner. Playing it safe paid off for the small team with a second at Long Beach for Patrese as the best result of the season. Arrows ended the year seventh in the championship. Liveried in the new sponsor's white and orange colours, the A3s were re-used in 1981 with a revised suspension design. Success was limited and Arrows slipped to eighth.
The Arrows A3 showed speed early in its life but had long lost its edge by the end of its two-year career. At the start of 1982, the brand-new A4 finally took over. In total, Arrows built six A3 tubs, some of which were used to repair cars that had been damaged in accidents. Page 1 of 1