Tag Archives: formula one

Benetton B193B

Posted on by
Reply

1993 Benetton-Ford B193B

Offered by Bonhams | Cheserex, Switzerland | June 20, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

Benetton Formula arrived on the grid in 1986, taking over the Toleman team. They later gave Michael Schumacher his first two titles before being purchased by Renault in 2000. The B193 was their car for the 1993 season, and it was updated to B193B spec beginning at the third race of the season at Donington Park.

The cars were powered by a 3.5-liter Ford V8 that made about 700 horsepower. Unfortunately, this chassis (#02) has been converted to show car spec, so it is currently engineless. It started the season as a spare car before being used for testing. Its actual competition history consists of:

  • 1993 German Grand Prix – 5th (with Riccardo Patrese)
  • 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix – 2nd (with Patrese)
  • 1993 Belgian Grand Prix – 6th (with Patrese)
  • 1993 Italian Grand Prix – 5th (with Patrese)
  • 1993 Portuguese Grand Prix – 16th, DNF (with Patrese)

Not too shabby. The car has been refinished in a later livery (it would’ve had a yellow and green Camel livery in ’93). At any rate, it’s a pure roller. Yet, it is still expected to bring between $89,000-$130,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $100,622.

McLaren MP4-25

Posted on by
Reply

2010 McLaren-Mercedes MP4-25

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Silverstone, U.K. | July 17, 2021

Photo – RM Sotheby’s (OBVIOUSLY)

Booo your lame watermark, RM Sotheby’s. I have no patience for that kind of old-school internet garbage. Anyway, this one-car auction will be a pretty remarkable opportunity for some well-heeled individual to acquired the first-ever F1-race-winning car driven by Lewis Hamilton to come to market.

The dude has won 98 races. 98! And that’s as of this writing… he’ll probably have a few more by the time this thing sells. But this isn’t one of the boring, show-killing Mercedes Silver Arrows, this is a McLaren. From back when Lewis actually had to try. The 2010 season was a good one. Five drivers won races, but it was kind of a toss-up as to who would win every week. Vettel won the championship with Red Bull, but Alonso was right there in a Ferrari. Hamilton was fourth in the driver’s championship, just ahead of his teammate Jenson Button.

The MP4-25 was powered by a Mercedes FO 108X 2.4-liter V8. Hamilton won three races in 2010, including the Turkish Grand Prix in this car. It is unclear what other races it competed in, as RM has yet to publish a full lot description. The pre-sale estimate here is $5,000,000-$7,000,000. It’s also unclear who is selling the car and how, if it isn’t McLaren themselves, it escaped the factory’s control. The world in which a random person propositions a major F1 team to purchase a previous season’s race-winning car is quite a different world than the one in which I spend my days. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $6,503,035.

March 811

Posted on by
Reply

1981 March-Ford-Cosworth 811

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | May 22, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

March Engineering debuted on the Formula One grid in 1970. Their best years were their early years, and they left after a points-less 1977. March reappeared in 1981, and then packed up their ball again and went home after 1982. They reappeared yet again in 1987 and raced as Leyton House Racing in 1990 and 1991 before a final season as March in 1992.

The 811 was their car for the 1981 season. It featured a 3.0-liter Ford-Cosworth DFV V8, which on this example was recently rebuilt. The competition history for this chassis, 811-05, includes:

  • 1981 Spanish Grand Prix – 16th (with Derek Daly)
  • 1981 French Grand Prix – 19th, DNF (with Daly)
  • 1981 German Grand Prix – 21st, DNF (with Daly)
  • 1981 Austrian Grand Prix – 11th (with Daly)
  • 1981 Dutch Grand Prix – 20th, DNF (with Daly)
  • 1981 Italian Grand Prix – 12th, DNF (with Daly)
  • 1981 Canadian Grand Prix – 8th (with Daly)

It was later campaigned in the 1982 British Formula One championship and in the final few races of the 1982 Can-Am season, during which it was modified to look more like a sports car. It was restored to its 1981 F1 glory in 1988 and has been active on the historic circuit. It is expected to bring between $300,000-$400,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $335,000.

March CG891

Posted on by
Reply

1989 March-Judd CG891

For Sale by RM Sotheby’s | 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The March Racing Team was a Formula One constructor founded by Max Mosley, Alan Rees, Graham Coaker, and Robin Herd in 1969. They built race cars for F1, F2, F3, IMSA, and IndyCar. This CG891 was their F1 car for the 1989 season.

The 1989 season was also the year March’s fortunes in F1 would come undone. Their financial situation deteriorated to the point where the team was taken over by their primary sponsor, Leyton House (a Japanese real estate company), mid-season.

Leyton House Racing was an F1 constructor (although more of a re-branded March team) in 1990 and 1991. It was purchased by someone else and renamed back to March for 1992 before disappearing forever. The CG891 was one of the first F1 cars designed by Adrian Newey and is powered by a 3.5-liter Judd V8 making 610 horsepower. The competition history for this chassis (02) includes:

  • 1989 Monaco Grand Prix – 11th, DNF (with Ivan Capelli)
  • 1989 United States Grand Prix – 21st, DNF (with Capelli)
  • 1989 French Grand Prix – 14th (with Mauricio Gugelmin)
  • 1989 Hungarian Grand Prix – 22nd, DNF (with Capelli)

This car retains its race engine and largely looks like it did when it pulled off the track for the last time. It’s been static for a while, so it’s gonna need some work. RM is offering it for about $522,500. Click here for more info.

Ferrari 412 T2

Posted on by
Reply

1995 Ferrari 412 T2

For Sale by Girardo & Co.

Photo – Girardo & Co.

Ferrari’s 1994 World Championship car was the 412 T1, so naturally, 1995’s car was the 412 T2. The Scuderia retained their driver lineup of Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger, but they also prepared for the future and let their 1997 driver, Michael Schumacher, test this very car prior to him taking a race seat with the team.

This car’s 3.0-liter V12 was the last 12-cylinder powerplant to win an F1 race. Ferrari was the only team still running a V12 during this season, while others ran V10s and V8s. Too bad we can’t have such variety in the sport today.

This was the second 412 T2 chassis built, and its competition history includes:

  • 1995 Brazilian Grand Prix – 5th (with Jean Alesi)
  • 1995 Argentine Grand Prix – 2nd (with Alesi)
  • 1995 San Marino Grand Prix – 2nd (with Alesi)

The car was later tested by Schumacher at Fiorano and Estoril, and it was sold into private hands directly from team leader Jean Todt. To be able to say you own the “first Ferrari F1 car driven by Michael Schumacher” would be a pretty cool thing to be able to brag about. And now you can. Check out more about the car here.

EuroBrun ER188

Posted on by
Reply

1988 EuroBrun-Cosworth ER188

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Essen, Germany | TBD…

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

EuroBrun was a short-lived Formula One team that competed between 1988 and 1990. The team was formed by the joining of powers of Giampaolo Pavanello’s Euroracing team (that operated the factory Alfa Romeo F1 team in the early 1980s) and Walter Brun’s Brun Motorsport.

Based in Milan, the team used Cosworth engines in 1988 before switching to a Judd powerplant. This car retains its 3.5-liter Cosworth DFZ V8. It was driven by Stefano Modena during the 1988 season, but the specific history for this chassis is not provided.

Modena finished 11th at the 1988 Hungarian Grand Prix, the team’s biggest highlight. They did not pre-qualify for any races in 1989 and made only two starts in 1990 before it was all over. This orange-and-green F1 car (with an engine!) is now being offered at no reserve. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $99,952.

Emeryson F1

Posted on by
Reply

1961 Emeryson 1.5-Litre Formula 1

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | March 29, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

There have been a lot of teams in Formula One over the years. Some have lasted decades, others just a few races. Paul Emery got his start building F3 cars in the early 1950s before building his first F1/F2 car in 1953. As a works team, Emeryson entered a single race in 1956.

They reappeared on the grid twice in 1962. Privateers entered Emeryson cars at least four times in ’61 and ’62. The Emeryson team was acquired by an American teenager in 1961, and the cars were fitted with Coventry-Climax engines. This car, 1004, was used by drivers Mike Spence, Jack Fairman, Tony Settember, and John Campbell-Jones in a number of non-championship Formula One races in 1961 and 1962.

This car’s lone F1 entry was at the 1961 Italian Grand Prix, where it DNF’d with Settember, who retained the car himself until 1963. The car was purchased by a collector in 1992 and restored. It retains a 1.5-liter Coventry-Climax inline-four and is the only surviving Emeryson F1 car. It should sell for between $150,000-$200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $211,331.

Toyota TF108 Roller

Posted on by
Reply

2008 Toyota TF108

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 6, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

Toyota competed as a constructor in Formula One between 2002 and 2009. And it did not go well. Despite dumping an untold fortune into the endeavor, they never won a race. They finished second five times, however, including once in 2008 using a TF108 chassis.

Not this chassis, though, because it is an engine-less show car. It was the fifth TF108 chassis built and, had it been a race car, it would’ve been powered by a 2.4-liter V8. Toyota’s 2008 drivers were Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli.

This show car is from Toyota’s penultimate year in F1 and would be a cool piece in any collection. It would also make for a great simulator base. It is expected to fetch between $67,000-$89,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $90,823.

Ferrari 126 C3

Posted on by
Reply

1983 Ferrari 126 C3

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2020

Photo – Artcurial

Ferrari’s 126 series of F1 cars were used between the 1981 and 1984 Formula One seasons. The 126 C3 was one of two cars used by the Scuderia for the 1983 season. The first was the 126 C2B, which was essentially their 1982 car with a flat bottom.

The C3 was a lighter version of the 126 C2B and used a carbon/kevlar shell. A 600-horsepower turbocharged 1.5-liter V6 provided the power. The car debuted halfway through the season, and four chassis were built. The competition history for this car includes:

  • 1983 Austrian Grand Prix – 2nd (with Rene Arnoux)
  • 1983 Dutch Grand Prix – 1st (with Arnoux)

The car fell back into reserve car status and was sold at the end of the season to the French Ferrari importer. But this car helped Ferrari win the constructor’s title for the 1983 season. It should now bring between $666,600-$1,111,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,583,200.

Lotus 88B

Posted on by
Reply

1981 Lotus 88B

Offered by BH Auction | Tokyo, Japan | January 12, 2020

Photo – BH Auction

Back when you were allowed to be innovative when designing racing cars, Formula One went through an era where ground effects were all the rage. It started in the late 1960s and peaked in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Things were getting pretty wild, and eventually, F1 cracked down, banning moveable aerodynamic devices.

Colin Chapman’s Lotus first started the wave, and they sort of ended it with this car, which was designed for the 1981 season. It features a twin-chassis layout that allows the standard chassis to hunker down at speed, while the second chassis works on mechanical grip. The other F1 teams were not amused and protested this car at every event. It practiced at the first two events, and later at the British Grand Prix (in 88B form), but it never raced.

Finished in John Player livery, the cars were used by drivers Nigel Mansell and Elio de Angelis in practice. Only two examples were built, and they’re powered by Ford-Cosworth 3.0-liter V8s. It is eligible for pretty much any historic F1 event and is being offered from a private Japanese collection. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.