If ever an enterprise was doomed from the off, it was this one. Ernesto Vita had tried to market his W12 3.5-litre engine in F1 but when he failed thought he might as well run it himself. The team headquarters was a small garage and the season started with the cash-strapped outfit possessing few spare parts, one (old) chassis and one engine. Any hopes all might be OK on the day soon disappeared as it became clear the car was about 150bhp underpowered and, to add to the problem, one of the heaviest in the field. Its handling was poor and reliability even worse. Vita soldiered on, even after his driver, Graham Brabham, walked away when the car broke down after 400 yards of qualifying in Brazil and the mechanics admitted they had not put oil in the engine as they had not been paid. Bruno Giacomelli came on board but things continued to deteriorate. The engine never managed more than a few laps before failing, and Giacomelli was quoted as saying he feared being struck from behind because the Life was so slow - it was as much as 19 seconds a lap slower than the pace-setters. The end came when Vita bought a Judd engine only to find the car's engine cover did not fit. They failed to complete the season.