Royale

Hugh Kleinpeter, a longtime IMSA contender and De Tomaso proponent, was also Argo's agent in the United States. He was at the core of the design and build of the JM16 model. He would later sever his connections with Jo Marquart late in 1984. This doing, he would take with him the designs and two honeycomb chassis of the car. Meanwhile, Alan Cornock's Royale Racing Ltd had closed his doors and Hugh Kleinpeter would acquire the rights to the name. He set up Royale Racing Inc. The chassis he had brought with him were replated and renamed. The JM16.103 became RP40-001 and the second chassis(a bare one) RP40-002. Hugh Kleinpeter would then use a strange ploy in order to bolster the name of Royale competing in IMSA. It worked and one of the most succsssful cars in 1985 in the Lights class was Charles Morgan's Argo JM16.102 who was raced as a Royale RP40 Buick. Hugh Kleinpeter had hired Jon Fisher Fabrications with the use of the original drawings. But the car would be somewhat outdated, when Argo released its next car : the JM19. In fact, one sole car would be sold : Diman Racing acquired one car, which would be fitted with a flat 6 Porsche. Hugh Kleinpeter decided to close his British based operation. However, despite this unfortunate fate, the 1986 season would be the best for the marque, with Jim Rothbarth and Mike Meyer finishing second and third in the Lights points respectively.

Chassis list