MANSELL’S ‘RED FIVE’ ON POLE FOR BONHAMS SALE F1 CHAMPIONSHIP-WINNING FW14B LEADS THE BONHAMS GRID AT FESTIVAL OF SPEED

MANSELL’S ‘RED FIVE’ ON POLE FOR BONHAMS SALE

 F1 CHAMPIONSHIP-WINNING FW14B
LEADS THE BONHAMS GRID AT
FESTIVAL OF SPEED

1992 WILLIAMS-RENAULT FW14B CHASSIS 08. Estimate on Request

The Williams-Renault FW14B Formula 1 car, in which legendary British racing driver Nigel Mansellwon a record-setting five Grand Prix races (all from pole) at the start of his Championship-winning 1992 season, is to be offered by Bonhams at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale on 5 July 2019.

A number of motor-racing greats will line up alongside the 90s legend to be offered for sale next Friday:

• ‘Old Mother Gun’, the pre-war Le Mans and Brooklands racing Bentley.
• 1935 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300, a road-going version of the Le Mans and Mille Miglia-winning race car.
• An Edwardian-era pioneer, the ex-Douglas Fitzpatrick Metallurgique-Maybach 21-litre Three-Seater Special.

The FW14B

 “It was just a fantastic year, with a fantastic car!”, said 1992 World Champion Mansell about theFW14B in an interview with Bonhams Magazine.

Designed by celebrated Formula 1 engineer Adrian Newey, The FW14B is considered one of the most sophisticated, dominant and important Formula 1 racing cars of all time, featuring state-of-the-art technology, including 6-speed semi-automatic transmission, ride-levelling active suspension and cutting-edge aerodynamics, powered by Renault’s RS3 3.5-litre V10 engine.

Bonhams is offering FW14B chassis 08 for sale, the car which contested 13 of that year’s 16 qualifying Grand Prix races, driven by Nigel Mansell in the first seven.

Mansell and the FW14B 08 won five of those seven Grand Prix races – in South Africa (where he set the fastest lap), Mexico, Brazil, Spain and Imola (for San Marino) – all from pole, setting a new Formula 1 record for consecutive wins.

Mansell was narrowly beaten into second place at Monaco by Ayrton Senna before ‘Red Five’, as it was known under Mansell’s command, was entrusted to Italian team-mate, Riccardo Patrese.

Then known as ‘White Six’, chassis ‘08’ contested a further six Grand Prix races, scoring World Championship points in three of them to give Williams-Renault one-two positions in the 1992 Formula 1 Constructors’ World Championship. Mansell notched up another four race wins in the sister car, becoming the first driver in Formula 1 racing history to win nine World Championship-qualifying Grand Prix races within a single season.

1992 WILLIAMS-RENAULT FW14B CHASSIS 08. Estimate on Request

Having been meticulously well-preserved, initially by Williams Grand Prix Engineering and subsequently by a private collector, FW14B ‘08” survives today in running order. Both its V10-cylinder engine and sophisticated hydraulic active-suspension system have been tested in recent weeks.

Mark Osborne, Global Director of Motorsport at Bonhams, commented: "The FW14B was the high-water mark in Grand Prix design for ‘92 and remains today one of the most sophisticated cars to compete in F1, and we at Bonhams are honoured to have been entrusted with such a motor-racing legend."

Also roaring into the Bonhams sale at Goodwood is ‘Old Mother Gun’, the 1927 Bentley Jackson Special – a timely offering in Bentley’s centenary year. The first 41/2-litre Bentley was a Le Mans and Grand Prix winner before dominating at Brooklands in the 1930s, setting speed records of 120mph and 130mph, before later recording an official top speed of 148mph. Estimate on Request.

Another historic speed king at the sale is the 1935 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 ‘Long Chassis’ Tourer,one of the last examples of the very first Alfa Romeo eight-cylinder models – a genuine 100mph car powered by a 2300CC engine, which achieved consecutive wins at Le Mans, Mille Miglia, Spa 24 Hours and Targa Florio, and led to the development of the legendary Monoposto Tipo B, the most dominating 30’s Grand Prix racer. Estimate £4,000,000 – 5,000,000.  

An ultra-rare ex-Douglas Fitzpatrick 1907 Métallurgique-Maybach Zeppelin-engined Edwardian three-seater, estimate £800,000 - £1,000,000, is considered one of the world’s greatest motor cars.

Powered by a very rare 21-litre airship engine, this remarkable motor car is a veteran of hill climbs, sprints and circuit-racing and still holds a current FIA Class A standing-start 500-metre world record. This Métallurgique’s other claim to fame is that it featured in the 1968 motion picture Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The Bonhams Festival of Speed sale is offering an exclusive selection of some of the world’s most sought-after collectors’ cars, including:

2013 McLaren P1 XP Experimental Prototype, estimate £1,300,000 – 1,500,000.

1966 Ford GT40, estimate £850,000 – 1,250,000.

1928 Bentley 6 ½-Litre Saloon, coachwork by Gurney Nutting, est £800,000 – 1,200,000.

1998 Jaguar XJ220, estimate £350,000 – 400,000.

All motor cars will be available to view on Thursday 4 and Friday 5 July at Goodwood, with the sale starting at 2pm on Friday.