The year was 1984, and an up-and-coming Brazilian racing driver was making the rounds in the British Formula 3 Championship and inaugural edition of the Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix. Ayrton Senna’s success in the lower classes of motorsport caught the attention of Formula 1 higher-ups, with Senna joining Toleman in 1984 after testing with Toleman, Brabham, Williams, and McLaren.
Having made its debut at the 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix, the legendary Senna posted his best result of the season at Monaco. Starting from 13th on a soaking-wet street circuit is bad enough, but against all the odds, Ayrton climbed through the ranks. He finished on 2nd place on lap 31 as he was catching Alain Prost at a rate of four seconds per lap.
Senna’s second-place finish and first-ever podium in Formula 1 set the stage for one of the sport’s greatest rivalries considering that he passed Prost on the 32nd lap. The car that made it all possible is the Rory Byrne- and Pat Symonds-designed Toleman TG184-02, packing 1.5 liters of turbocharged goodness and a five-speed stick shift.
The Monaco-raced Toleman-Hart that helped Senna shine at its brightest in 1984 will be heading to auction on May 11, at the Bonhams “Les Grandes Marques a Monaco.” The reserve and estimate for the 600-horsepower single-seater haven’t been made public by the auction house, but there’s no mistaking this chassis will fetch a pretty penny.
“The spark that ignited this fierce competition can be traced back almost thirty-five years to the 1984 edition of the Monaco Grand Prix, and the politically charged decision to throw out the red flag when it was clear that the young Brazilian charger was about to ruffle some feathers,” commented Mark Osborne, global head of motorsport at Bonhams.
From 1984 to the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix 1994, the dearly missed Senna racked up three titles, 41 wins, 80 podiums, and loads of memorable moments that Formula 1 enthusiasts still talk about to this day.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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