• Year of manufacture 
    1984
  • Car type 
    Other
  • Chassis number 
    074
  • Drive 
    LHD
  • Condition 
    Used
  • Exterior brand colour 
    Red
  • Location
    Italy
  • Exterior colour 
    Other

Description

We are delighted to offer this 1984 Belgian F1 Grand Prix winning Ferrari 126 C4 - chassis 074 - for sale.  During 1980, Ferrari engineers were busy with the development of the eventual replacement for the naturally aspirated flat-12 engine of the long-running 312 Formula 1 car. It was certainly worth the wait. The new 1.5-liter V-6 featured twin turbochargers with separate intercoolers, and upon its debut during the second day of practice for the 1980 Italian Grand Prix, its 580 bhp output produced lap times at the Imola circuit one-half second better than the proven 312 could muster. While turbo V-6 development continued, a new chassis, designated 126 C, was prepared for it, utilizing Ferraris then-traditional tube-frame chassis and aluminum-sheet construction. Other than its remarkable power output and obvious potential, the new engine proved reliable, afforded more compact packaging and improved aerodynamics. Ferraris brilliant Canadian driver, Gilles Villeneuve, commanded the 126C to its first win at Monaco in 1981, in only its sixth race outing, plus another victory in Spain.The addition of Dr. Harvey Postlethwaite to the Ferrari engineering team resulted in the vastly improved 126 C2 of 1982, with its all-new carbon fiber-reinforced composite chassis, and handling was improved. However, Ferraris drivers, Villeneuve and Didier Pironi, proved to be an increasingly volatile combination and the polar opposite of Villeneuve and his former teammate and F1 World Champion, Jody Scheckter. Villeneuves fatal crash in May at Belgium's Zolder circuit and Pironis season-ending crash at Hockenheim were terrible blows, however, Patrick Tambay and Mario Andretti gathered sufficient points to earn the Constructors Championship for Ferrari.For 1983, the controversial ground-effects skirts were banned, and since the new 126 C3 chassis was still undergoing development work at the seasons start, the C2 chassis was updated as the C2B with a new flat-bottom body configuration to meet the new rules. To compensate for the reduction in downforce, output of the turbo V-6 engine grew to 650 bhp for qualifying and 600 bhp for racing use. Despite the newly mandated aero restrictions, the interim C2B was faster than the prior ground-effects car. In the skilled hands of Ren Arnoux and Patrick Tambay, with Arnoux winning in Canada, Germany and Holland while Tambay scored victory at Imola, Ferrari scored its second consecutive Constructors Championship.For 1984, Ferraris 126 C4 chassis was little changed but its engine was revised considerably. Among the changes were completely redesigned cylinder heads, a deepened crankcase and many other internal modifications. The transverse-mounted gearbox was heavily improved as well, with the resulting six-speed unit stronger and lighter than before.For the 1984 season, seven 126 C4 chassis were completed, ranging from numbers 071 to 077. The Ferrari offered here, chassis 126-074, was built especially for new Ferrari driver Michele Alboreto, the rising star who joined Ferrari from Benetton-Tyrrell. The pairing proved effective, with Alboreto scoring victory in the cars debut at the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder on April 29, 1984, followed by five more starts. Arnoux also drove 074 to a podium 3rd place finish at the shortened Monaco race and at Hockenheim and Zeltweg while and it served as a back-up and practice car at Montreal, Detroit and Dallas. (see the History section below for its full race history). In August 1984, 126-074 was officially retired from competition and stored at the Ferrari Factory.Some years later, the car passed through Cornes Motors Ltd. in Japan to the famous Matsuda Collection and then, during the late 1990s, it was imported into the United States where it was first stored for about five years. In 1998, the car was under the ownership of Californias Peter Irlenborn. Subsequently, 126-074 was given a complete, nut-and-bolt restoration by Bob Houghton and MHT of Gloucestershire, England, and it is known to have been in the collection of Mr. Abba Kogan until early 2007. While in its current ownership, the engine and gearbox have been overhauled  by  Ferrari engine specialist Pietro Corradini while being maintained by Stefano Calzi's Motortecnica of Parma, Italy. Since its overhaul, 074 has covered very little mileage and has only been driven less than 100km in demonstration runs such as the 2018 Minardi Days. After a thorough inspection by Ferrari Classiche, the car received the coveted Ferrari Classiche Red Book certification in February 2019. Spares included with the car are a set of rims mounted with rain tyres, a set of transport wheels and the original Schedoni seat. Expertly restored, in race-ready condition and driven by two of the greatest F1 drivers of the 1980s, chassis 126-074 represents not only a chance to own a Ferrari with racing pedigree but a true, race-winning example of the famous turbo era in grand prix racing. ... For more information please visit www.rmd.be.