Michael Schumacher’s first Grand Prix-winning car up for auction
The opportunity to purchase one of the most significant cars in motorsport history has presented itself.
Yes, this is the 1992 Benetton B192-05 that Michael Schumacher drove to victory at the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps. It represented a historic moment for Formula One and Schumacher, with the victory being his first in a sport where he would go on win a further 90 victories and become a record-setting seven-time World Champion.
The Benetton was driven by Schumacher for five races during the 1992 season and was retained by the company before being added to the Renault Classic Collection. It will be part of the Broad Arrow Global Icons online sale from 23-30 January.
The car that launched a record-setting career
Chassis B192-05 was the work of legendary designer Rory Byrne and was the last race-winning F1 car with a manual gearbox.
The 1992 Belgian Grand Prix saw Schumacher prevail in the heavy rain over the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Mika Häkkinen. The victory came one year after Schumacher’s debut at the same circuit, and saw the German cross the line after 44 laps and hundreds of gear changes through the H-pattern six-speed manual transmission.
When Renault acquired the Benetton race team in March 2000, the car remained at its Enstone headquarters and formed part of its classic collection until 2015, when it was sold to the Lauren Redon-owned LRS Formula. Redon, a test driver for Minardi in 1998 and Benetton in 1999, completely restored the car to working order with a chassis overhaul and engine and gearbox rebuild, before selling it in 2016 to an unknown racer.
“This is undoubtedly one of the most famous cars in Formula One history”
“We cannot overstate how honoured we are to be able to publicly offer, for the first time ever, the Benetton B192-05 that first put Michael Schumacher on the top step of the F1 podium,” says Yves Boitel, Car Specialist at Broad Arrow.
“This is undoubtedly one of the most famous cars in Formula One history, one that not only signalled the start of one of the greatest F1 careers of all time, but which also marked the end of the glorious era of manual gearboxes at the pinnacle of motorsport. We expect its presentation in our Global Icons: Europe Online sale to attract significant interest from top collectors around the world.”
The 1992 Benetton B192-05 is expected to be sold for more than €8.5 million in the Broad Arrow Global Icons auction. Other highlights include a 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 S, two examples of the iconic Ferrari Dino 246 GT, and 1990 Ferrari Mondial T Cabriolet in Verde Sucro Green.
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Broad Arrow Auctions