Nine more F1 racers you can buy
There are explosions of ex Formula One cars on the market right now. Here are just a few.
F1 team Manor put four cars from their Marussia and Cherry Racing days up for sale a earlier this week, but if you don’t fancy spending upwards of £150,000 on a car with few accolades, there are alternatives to consider.
A quick search on the internet exposes dozens of cars that are available for purchase, spanning everything from little known backmarkers to vehicles driven by former world champions. Truly.
Regrettably there are some drawbacks. None of the cars on suggest come with pit crews or mechanics, so maintenance might be a burdensome expense.
Nor are they road legal, so you will need a trailer of some description. And access to a decent-sized race track.
Oh, and when we say they cost ‘peanuts’, we mean the ultra-expensive, gold plated kind. If such a diversity exists…
Hurry while stocks last!
1977 Lotus Formula one JPS
Lotus were one of the frontrunners for the championship in 1977, with their pairing of Mario Andretti and Gunnar Nilsson winning as many races (five) as Niki Lauda and Carlos Reutemann in the Ferrari that prevailed that season.
Eventually completing 2nd in the constructors standings, the car laid the foundations for the fresh and improved chassis which witnessed Lotus go one better in 1978, with Andretti becoming world champ that same year.
Restored by Classic Team Lotus in 2009, the car comes with a rebuilt engine and spare wheels. Shut up and take our money…
1982 Arrows A4-2
Arrows Grand Prix International competed in Formula One in various guises for twenty four years, not once winning a race in three hundred eighty two attempts.
The, um, plucky British underdogs did at least get on the podium on nine occasions, including five 2nd place finishes. Albeit this A4-2 didn’t contribute to that tally.
With a price tag of a cool quarter of a million pounds, Mauro Baldi’s old racer comes with a fresh power unit and five sets of wheels. As long as they aren’t made of modern F1 rubber, they should last a while…
1983 Arrows A6-4
This Arrows car didn’t manage any podium finishes either, albeit it did come home in five th from all the way back in sixteen th place in the 2nd race of the one thousand nine hundred eighty three season under the guidance of Swiss driver Marc Surer.
Thierry Bousten repeated the feat in the San Marino and Austrian Grands Prix the following year, albeit by and large it would either retire from the race or lodge in the middle order.
The listing claims that the engine and gearbox have only done three hundred seventy five miles since a rebuild was ended in 2010, so hopefully reliability will be much less of a problem today.
1984 Toleman TG184-2
Now this is fairly a find.
Ayrton Senna announced his arrival in Formula One with a sensational drive at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1984, which spotted him finish the race in 2nd place owing to powerful rain and a controversial black flag.
Senna had passed Alain Prost to take the lead on the final lap before the race was halted, only to detect that the classification would be taken from the previous lap in accordance with the race rules.
In any case it was the Brazilian legend’s very first podium in Formula One, made all the more outstanding by the fact that he was driving this generally uncompetitive Toleman in conditions that compelled the likes of Niki Lauda and Nigel Mansell to spin off.
The seller doesn’t give a price, but we suspect it will cost an unfathomable number of pounds.
1990 Lotus 102
Not a hugely successful car considering it scored points just twice in 1990, albeit with the yellow trim and Camel sponsorship the one hundred two is at least recognisable.
The only Lotus F1 car to ever be fitted with a V12 engine, the Trio.5-litre power unit from Lamborghini produced 700bhp at 13,000rpm in its prime, and should still do so today following a post-storage rebuild by Lotus themselves.
Ready to race in its original bodywork, and yours in exchange for lots and lots of money. Most likely.
2001 BAR Honda
Another race seat that has played host to the buns of a world champ.
Driven by one thousand nine hundred ninety seven champ Jacques Villeneuve, this BAR Honda racer featured on the podium twice in 2001, claiming third place in the Spanish and German Grands Prix that year.
An absolute bargain, albeit the listing does point out that there is an “added cost” for getting it ready to race again. A minor snag.
2002 Jaguar R3
If you’re in the market for an F1 car that’s scored a podium since the turn of the millennium, then your options aren’t limited to just the Honda.
This Jaguar R3 was driven by Eddie Irvine during the two thousand two season, with a best result of third at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza behind the Ferrari line-up of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.
Described as “one of only a handful of late F1 cars that are possible to run without factory assistance”, we’ll gloss over the fact that it retired from ten out of seventeen races that year…
2003 Jordan EJ13
While Jordan only scored points three times during the course of the two thousand three season, one of those occasions was a bona fide race win.
Under the guideline of Giancarlo Fisichella, this EJ13 claimed victory in one of the most action-packed races in the history of the sport following a litany of accidents at a soaked Interlagos.
A late crash coerced organisers to end the race early, leading to confusion about the final standings. Fisichella and Jordan were eventually awarded the win a number of days after the race, following a podium ceremony where it transpired none of the drivers had been placed on the correct steps.
The drama on race day was also topped off by Fisichella’s car catching fire in parc ferme, albeit presumably any harm sustained has since been repaired. A genuine collector’s item, this one.
2011 Sauber C30
Until Manor’s vehicles went up for sale, this was the most latest F1 car you could buy.
Frequently creeping into the top ten, the C30 was driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Sergio Perez and once by Pedro de La Rosa when Perez withdrew from the Canadian Grand Prix due to concussion.
A not too shabby seven th in the constructors championship in 2011, this car comes with an “impressive spares package”. Which is the least you’d expect, given the asking price.
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Nine more F1 racers you can buy, Top Gear
Nine more F1 racers you can buy
There are geysers of ex Formula One cars on the market right now. Here are just a few.
F1 team Manor put four cars from their Marussia and Cherry Racing days up for sale a earlier this week, but if you don’t fancy spending upwards of £150,000 on a car with few accolades, there are alternatives to consider.
A quick search on the internet exposes dozens of cars that are available for purchase, spanning everything from little known backmarkers to vehicles driven by former world champions. Truly.
Regrettably there are some drawbacks. None of the cars on suggest come with pit crews or mechanics, so maintenance might be a burdensome expense.
Nor are they road legal, so you will need a trailer of some description. And access to a decent-sized race track.
Oh, and when we say they cost ‘peanuts’, we mean the ultra-expensive, gold plated kind. If such a diversity exists…
Hurry while stocks last!
1977 Lotus Formula one JPS
Lotus were one of the frontrunners for the championship in 1977, with their pairing of Mario Andretti and Gunnar Nilsson winning as many races (five) as Niki Lauda and Carlos Reutemann in the Ferrari that prevailed that season.
Eventually completing 2nd in the constructors standings, the car laid the foundations for the fresh and improved chassis which eyed Lotus go one better in 1978, with Andretti becoming world champ that same year.
Restored by Classic Team Lotus in 2009, the car comes with a rebuilt engine and spare wheels. Shut up and take our money…
1982 Arrows A4-2
Arrows Grand Prix International competed in Formula One in various guises for twenty four years, not once winning a race in three hundred eighty two attempts.
The, um, plucky British underdogs did at least get on the podium on nine occasions, including five 2nd place finishes. Albeit this A4-2 didn’t contribute to that tally.
With a price tag of a cool quarter of a million pounds, Mauro Baldi’s old racer comes with a fresh power unit and five sets of wheels. As long as they aren’t made of modern F1 rubber, they should last a while…
1983 Arrows A6-4
This Arrows car didn’t manage any podium finishes either, albeit it did come home in five th from all the way back in sixteen th place in the 2nd race of the one thousand nine hundred eighty three season under the guidance of Swiss driver Marc Surer.
Thierry Bousten repeated the feat in the San Marino and Austrian Grands Prix the following year, albeit by and large it would either retire from the race or lodge in the middle order.
The listing claims that the engine and gearbox have only done three hundred seventy five miles since a rebuild was ended in 2010, so hopefully reliability will be much less of a problem today.
1984 Toleman TG184-2
Now this is fairly a find.
Ayrton Senna announced his arrival in Formula One with a sensational drive at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1984, which spotted him finish the race in 2nd place owing to powerful rain and a controversial black flag.
Senna had passed Alain Prost to take the lead on the final lap before the race was halted, only to detect that the classification would be taken from the previous lap in accordance with the race rules.
In any case it was the Brazilian legend’s very first podium in Formula One, made all the more extraordinaire by the fact that he was driving this generally uncompetitive Toleman in conditions that compelled the likes of Niki Lauda and Nigel Mansell to spin off.
The seller doesn’t give a price, but we suspect it will cost an unfathomable number of pounds.
1990 Lotus 102
Not a hugely successful car considering it scored points just twice in 1990, albeit with the yellow trim and Camel sponsorship the one hundred two is at least recognisable.
The only Lotus F1 car to ever be fitted with a V12 engine, the Three.5-litre power unit from Lamborghini produced 700bhp at 13,000rpm in its prime, and should still do so today following a post-storage rebuild by Lotus themselves.
Ready to race in its original bodywork, and yours in exchange for lots and lots of money. Most likely.
2001 BAR Honda
Another race seat that has played host to the buns of a world champ.
Driven by one thousand nine hundred ninety seven champ Jacques Villeneuve, this BAR Honda racer featured on the podium twice in 2001, claiming third place in the Spanish and German Grands Prix that year.
An absolute bargain, albeit the listing does point out that there is an “added cost” for getting it ready to race again. A minor snag.
2002 Jaguar R3
If you’re in the market for an F1 car that’s scored a podium since the turn of the millennium, then your options aren’t limited to just the Honda.
This Jaguar R3 was driven by Eddie Irvine during the two thousand two season, with a best result of third at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza behind the Ferrari line-up of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.
Described as “one of only a handful of late F1 cars that are possible to run without factory assistance”, we’ll gloss over the fact that it retired from ten out of seventeen races that year…
2003 Jordan EJ13
While Jordan only scored points three times during the course of the two thousand three season, one of those occasions was a bona fide race win.
Under the instruction of Giancarlo Fisichella, this EJ13 claimed victory in one of the most action-packed races in the history of the sport following a litany of accidents at a soaked Interlagos.
A late crash coerced organisers to end the race early, leading to confusion about the final standings. Fisichella and Jordan were eventually awarded the win a number of days after the race, following a podium ceremony where it transpired none of the drivers had been placed on the correct steps.
The drama on race day was also topped off by Fisichella’s car catching fire in parc ferme, albeit presumably any harm sustained has since been repaired. A genuine collector’s item, this one.
2011 Sauber C30
Until Manor’s vehicles went up for sale, this was the most latest F1 car you could buy.
Frequently creeping into the top ten, the C30 was driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Sergio Perez and once by Pedro de La Rosa when Perez withdrew from the Canadian Grand Prix due to concussion.
A not too shabby seven th in the constructors championship in 2011, this car comes with an “impressive spares package”. Which is the least you’d expect, given the asking price.
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This service is provided by Disqus and is subject to their privacy policy and terms of use. Please read Top Gear’s code of conduct (link below) before posting.