Even to Formula 1 enthusiasts who weren’t born then or were too little to follow the king motorsport in the 1990s, everyone knows who is Michael Schumacher. The seven-time world champion made his mark on the open-cockpit series from the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, right off the bat, when the German out-qualified his teammate – the veteran Andrea de Cesaris – in the Jordan 191.
This unexpected performance led Benetton to sign Schu, winning his first two titles in Formula 1 in ‘94 and ‘95 and the team’s only constructors' title in 1995. After asserting back-to-back drivers’ titles with the outfit that’s now called Renault, Michael then switched to the Prancing Horse.
It was November 1995 when Benetton released their star driver from contractual obligations, allowing Schumi to get a plane ticket for Italy and head over to the Fiorano racetrack for testing the 412 T2. This, ladies and gents, is the first time The Red Baron sat in a Scuderia Ferrari F1 racing car!
Chassis number 157 is a podium finisher with Jean Alesi as well as the manufacturer’s last V12-powered Formula 1 racecar. 1996 is the first season of the 3.0-liter V10 powerplant, which was subsequently replaced by the 2.4-liter V8 in 2006. The 1.6-liter hybrid V6 came along in 2014.
A dealership from London - Girardo & Co. - has listed the car for sale although no pricing information has been offered. What we do know, however, is that Alesi drove #157 in the first rounds of the season, and another chassis claimed first overall at the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix. In other words, the 412 T2 is the last V12-powered racing car to win a Formula 1 race.
Five days after the Fiorano test in November 1995, Michael and #157 were doing their thing in Estoril. Over 28 laps of the circuit, the German’s best time was a 1:21.20 that bested Gerhard Berger’s qualifying lap in the 412 T2 at the Portuguese Grand Prix by seven-tenths of a second.
In addition to the vehicle per se, the sale further includes documented copies of the test sheets for chassis 157 and certification from Ferrari Classiche. After the spell with Schumi, chassis 157 was acquired by a German collector – Peter Fandel – who then sold the car to racing driver Klaas Zwart. The current owner bought the car in 2013 according to the dealer.
Last, but certainly not least, the V12 single-seater that finished second at the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix was sent back to its stomping ground of Maranello in 2018. Following a rebuild to track-ready condition, this 412 T2 is eager to go racing again.
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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