F1: Ex-Schumacher Benetton Formula 1 Car On Sale

As a kid, when I heard the name Schumacher, it was either in context of a comet or the F1 driver. Come to think of it, both had a lot to do with speed and both were quicker in their own right. However, while it is not so easy to get a piece of the comet, it is in fact easier to get a piece of the car that Schumacher drove.

How often have you thought to yourself about buying a fully functioning Formula 1 car? Well, very often I should think but the fact remains that it does burn a crater in your pocket and at Rs. 29 million, it isn't the cheapest.

This is though the Benetton-Ford B191/191B. This is a piece of motorsport history as it was Nelson Piquet's last Formula 1 car before it was assigned to a young Martin Brundle and then a chap who saw a lot of success - a German named Michael Schumacher.

The car was designed by legendary engineer John Barnard, the same guy who designed the McLaren MP4, the first of the paddle-shift Ferraris and the Indianapolis 500 winning Chaparral 2K. The interesting part is that each of his cars did manage to win atleast one race and for some championships.

Michael Schumacher is probably the most famous man to have driven this particular car. It is true that Schumacher scored his first ever podium finish (small secret, that he came in 3rd) in this chassis at the 1992 Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico City.

The blue and yellow car is powered by the 72-degree Ford HB V8, a 3.5-litre with a compression ratio of 12.0:1 and when in race mode the engine revved to 13,800rpm and developed 730bhp. It has a carbon-composite monocoque chassis which weighs just 38kgs so you know how light it actually is.

So, back to the question of having the money to pay for it, yes you need deep pockets. It is a fully functional piece and if you can dig out 29 million rupees, it could be yours!