This is an original Benetton Formula 1 factory wind tunnel model that was used to refine the design of the Benetton B191 F1 car that would be driven by Michael Schumacher, Nelson Piquet, and Roberto Moreno in the 1991 season.
The Benetton B191B-spec car would be driven in the first three races of the 1992 season, by Schumacher once again now paired with Martin Brundle.
This is a 1991 Benetton B191 Formula 1 car that was driven by 7-time Formula One World Drivers’ Champion Michael Schumacher to a 4th place finish at the 1992 South African Grand Prix. Image courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.
History Speedrun: The Benetton B191
The Benetton B191 was Benetton’s 1991 Formula 1 chassis, introduced at the 1991 San Marino Grand Prix and raced through the end of the season, then briefly updated and reused as the B191B at the start of 1992.
At this time the Benetton Team was being run by the larger-than-life Flavio Briatore, with Tom Walkinshaw aboard, along with Rory Byrne, Ross Brawn, and a young German driver named Michael Schumacher who joined mid-way through the 1991 season. A Formula 1 dream team if ever there was one.
The Benetton B191 had a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis with double-wishbone, pushrod suspension at both ends, and a transverse six-speed manual gearbox. Power came from Ford’s 3.5 liter naturally aspirated HB-series V8 (the HBA5 variant) producing up to 730 bhp at 12,000 rpm.
The car’s single best result was Piquet’s outright win at the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix, this would be the B191’s only victory but the car would take a slew of relatively high-placed finishes, and as a result Benetton would finish 4th in the Constructors’ World Championship in 1991, and 3rd in 1992 thanks in part to the B191B-spec car.
Benetton B191 F1 Wind Tunnel Model Shown Here
The wind tunnel model you see here was built by the Benetton Team to test out aerodynamic elements of the B191. It has adjustable front and rear wings, hubs that can accept scale wheels, and interestingly it also has a motorized steering rack, allowing engineers to turn the wheels and simulate airflow over the car while turning.
This wind tunnel model has adjustable front and rear wings, hubs that can accept scale wheels, and interestingly it also has a motorized steering rack, allowing engineers to turn the wheels and simulate airflow over the car while turning.
The body is made from carbon fiber and the front and rear wings are made from aluminum, the suspension is also aluminum, as are the hubs. Developments made on this model would be seen on the Benetton B191B-spec car driven by Schumacher and Brundle at the start of the 1992 season.
This model is now being offered for sale on RM Sotheby’s with a guide price of $7,000 – $13,500 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
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Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
