If Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 title-winning Ferrari F2001 that could sell at auction for north of $7 million USD is perhaps a little too hefty for your budget, you may instead want to consider this Benetton B190B show car from 1991 as an alternative. The detailed replica is available through F1 Authentics, the “home of Official F1 Merchandise,” with the lead bid sitting at ‘just’ £15,000 (just under $20,000 USD) after five bids.
The hammer will be dropped on Tuesday 22 April with shipping available for North American bidders. Further details can be found here.
Yes, It Has Michael Schumacher’s Name On The Side. However…
Right, there are a couple of asterisks to deal with before we go any further. Firstly, as the first current bid suggests, this particular B190B is a show car, and thus was never entered for an official Grand Prix in 1991. Nor does it feature Ford’s 3.5-liter ‘HBA4’ V8, good for around 650-horsepower, under the engine cover. And yes, while a certain ‘M.Schumacher’ does appear on the cockpit side, the future seven-time World Champion never competed with a B190B.
The evolutionary model was used for only two races at the beginning of the 1991 season, while Schumacher, after a star-making debut for Jordan in Belgium, only joined Benetton for the 1991 Italian Grand Prix that September. Those of you bidding on what you believe to be a genuine piece of Michael Schumacher memorabilia will be left disappointed.
“His name might be on the cockpit, but Michael Schumacher never competed with a B190B.”
In lighter news though, this B190B show car is “an authentic reproduction” of the B190B driven for the first two races of the 1991 F1 season by Brazil’s Roberto Moreno and three-time World Champion Nelson Piquet, the latter of whom also features on the side of the cockpit (poor Roberto!) Everything, down to Benetton’s famous Camel logo, all the sponsorship decals, and the airbox above the drivers’ head – a first for the team, which had previously featured twin air intakes either side of the cockpit – have been reproduced in detail “using similar materials and components” to the real thing.
A potential winning estimate is difficult to gauge, as F1 show cars in the past, and specifically bodyshells, have sold from anywhere between $125,000 and half a million dollars. By contrast, an actual Michael Schumacher-raced Benetton ‘B191-08’ chassis recently sold at auction in Miami for $775,000.
Key takeaways
- Benetton B190B show car is “an authentic reproduction,” but never raced.
- Features livery and sponsorship decals replicated from 1991 season.
- Features the names of two F1 World Champions – Michael Shumacher and Nelson Piquet – on the side of the cockpit.
- Official estimates have not been revealed, but could potentially sell for between $125,000 and $500,000 dollars.
Benetton B190B. A Two-Grand Prix Career History
Formerly a title sponsor for both Tyrrell (1983) and Alfa Romeo (1984-1985), Benetton stepped up its F1 commitment by purchasing minnow Toleman and entering its own Grand Prix team for 1986. Powered by BMW’s monster, 900-horsepower turbocharged inline-four cylinder, Benetton became a GP winner in its debut season. The B190, meanwhile, designed by the great John Barnard with the assistance of future Ferrari World Championship-winning designer Rory Byrne, was the team’s first naturally-aspirated car when it landed two races into the 1990 season.
Though down on power compared with most of its front-running contemporaries (by as much as 60-horsepower, and despite Benetton being Ford’s ‘official’ works team by then), the B190 made up this shortfall with a lower center of gravity, better weight distribution, and arguably better tire wear, thanks largely to the lighter, more compact nature of its V8.
Piquet and Italy’s Alessandro Nannini drove for most of the season before an horrific helicopter injury ended Nannini’s F1 career prematurely. Roberto Moreno stepped in for the last two races of 1990, and early 1991, and, amazingly, finished second to teammate Nelson Piquet at the highly controversial 1990 Japanese Grand Prix, banking Benetton’s first-ever 1-2 finish in the process.
“Though down on power to most of its front-running contemporaries, the B190 made up this shortfall with a lower center of gravity, better weight distribution, and better tire wear.”
Rolled out for the first two GP of 1991 (in the United States and Brazil), the B190B featured aerodynamically refined, rather than overhauled, designs to its bodywork, wings and underfloor, and even powered Nelson Piquet to 3rd at the season-opening race in Phoenix. Its Grand Prix career did not last long, however, as the B190B was replaced by the new, ‘nose up’ B191 from round three onwards.
In September, Moreno would also depart the team to make way for F1’s new wunderkind Michael Schumacher. A new era of success for Benetton, including two Drivers’ Championships and two Constructors’ titles – was about to begin.
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