The first one

Michael Schumacher’s first ever Formula 1 car, the Jordan 191 with a Ford engine, will be sold to raise money for charity. The car was given away by Eddie Jordan.

Eddie Jordan has given two of his most popular cars for sale to raise money for charity. One of them is the first Jordan Grand Prix car ever built, the 191 chassis number 01. The 191 was the highly significant car driven by Michael Schumacher on his debut in the sport at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in 1991. This car comes absolutely complete, even with Michael’s original signed helmet.

The car was designed by a team of three staff led by chief designer Gary Anderson. Five drivers took part in the sixteen round championship for the team. Andrea de Cesaris was the only one to drive the full season, despite failing to pre-qualify for the opening round of the championship in Phoenix. It was also de Cesaris who scored the team’s best finish of the season, with a fourth place at both Montreal and at Mexico City. Bertrand Gachot secured his best finish of his shortened season, with a fifth place – just over 2 seconds behind de Cesaris at the finish. Gachot’s season was curtailed by a two-month prison sentence, for spraying CS gas at a taxi driver in London.

Over the final six races, three drivers filled in for Gachot – Alessandro Zanardi, Roberto Moreno and Michael Schumacher. Schumacher was a revelation in his one and only race weekend for Jordan. At the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher qualified a superb seventh on the grid (Jordan’s joint-best ever at that time), out qualifying de Cesaris who was eleventh. However, the high did not last, as the clutch failed within the first mile of the race. There followed a legal wrangle between Benetton and Jordan, with Schumacher signing for Benetton – a team with which he would later win two world championships – sending Moreno packing from Benetton and Jordan signed him up. He did two races before handing another debutant, Zanardi, his debut in the final three races. A pair of ninths were the best results that any of Gachot’s replacements achieved.

In their first season, Jordan finished an impressive fifth in the championship, scoring 13 points along the way. The 191 is also considered by many to be one of the most beautiful Formula 1 cars of all time. The car won the Autosport Racing Car of the Year award for 1991.

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