Michael Schumacher’s First Ferrari Formula 1 Car Is For Sale Right Now

It’s also Ferrari’s final V12 F1 car.

byJames Gilboy|
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Michael Schumacher's twin Formula 1 titles with Benetton showed the racing world that the young German was a force to watch out for. When news broke that the former sports car racer was headed to Ferrari, it wasn't immediately clear whether Schumacher saw potential in the struggling Scuderia, which hadn't won a title since 1983, or the other way around. What was obvious is that the F1 world was about to see fireworks, and the car that would light the fuse would be the first Ferrari Grand Prix racer Schumacher drove: the 412 T2.

Ferrari 412 T2, Chassis 157, Girardo & Co

Schumacher never actually raced the 412 T2; it spent more time in his mirrors than in his sights during the 1995 season, during which the German claimed the second of his Benetton championships. Instead, Schumacher first piloted this red car during a postseason test at Fiorano on November 16, 1995, where an audience of over 2,000 Tifosi and media braved wintry weather to watch Schumacher drive his first 17 laps in a Ferrari.

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The specific chassis used for that test was 412 T2 number 157, with which Jean Alesi achieved a second-place finish at the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix. One of its sister cars helped provide Alesi with the only Grand Prix win of his career at the Canadian Grand Prix, which, occurring on the Frenchman's birthday, was a fitting celebration. Sadly, that marked the final occasion on which a V12 F1 car won a Grand Prix, as the complex engine configuration fell by the wayside the following year in favor of a more fuel-efficient V-10.

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After its retirement, chassis 157 passed through the hands of three collectors, the latest of which commissioned a full restoration to bring the car back to track-ready condition. In that shape, it sits now in the hands of London-based exotic car dealer Girardo & Co, which lists this Ferrari's price as available "upon application." That's One-percentese for "if you have to ask, you can't afford it."

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