Another day, another ridiculously nice Formula One car up for auction. If you’ve ever wanted to own a classic Ferrari F1 car, complete with a V12 engine, then now is your chance. This F1-89 (sometimes known as the 640, because Ferrari are stupid at naming their cars) was from a classic period where Ferrari’s either got on the podium or broke down. Seriously, look at their results.
I’ll take it, how much? 600,000 – 900.000 Euros… I’ve got a fiver?
600 hp, 3,497 cc DOHC V-12 fuel injection, seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox, independent front and rear suspension with double wishbones and push rods, and four-wheel carbon-fibre disc brakes. Wheelbase: 2,829 mm
- John Barnard’s first F1 design for Ferrari
- The first seven-speed semi-automatic F1 gearbox with paddle shifters
- Raced in period by Gerhard Berger
- The first Ferrari driven by Alain Prost after leaving McLaren
- Fully restored by Ferrari F1 Clienti and tested at Mugello; Classiche certified
British designer John Barnard was given virtual carte blanche to restore Ferrari’s Formula One fortunes to the top rank when he agreed, in 1987, to an enormous salary and the opportunity to establish a new Ferrari Technical Centre in England.
Ferrari had not won a Formula One race since the German Grand Prix in 1985, after breaking Renault’s grip on turbo-F1 racing with consecutive World Championships for constructors in 1982 and 1983 with a 1.5-litre V-6 engine. Nonetheless, the selection of an Englishman to head Ferrari’s F1 technical development was controversial all around.
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