The 1991 Jordan in which seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher made his Formula 1 debut is changing hands once more.
Jordan 191 chassis number six is one of the most significant cars in F1 history thanks to Eddie Jordan’s decision to give a young German driver the chance to prove himself at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix. Jordan, unexpectedly, had a spare seat thanks to Bertrand Gachot being imprisoned for spraying CS gas at a London taxi driver and, rather than put an established pilot alongside Andrea de Cesaris, he called in the 22 -year-old Schumacher.
“Schumacher was available this weekend, he had no other commitments. I’ve seen him in Formula 3 and I have this, well the team has this attitude, to give youth a chance. We think it’s a progressive way to see what the potential of Schumacher is for the future,” said Jordan at the time.
It immediately proved to be a wise move, with Schumacher seven tenths of a second faster than de Cesaris in pre-qualifying in a car he’d never driven before at a circuit that he’d never lapped. de Cesaris wasn’t happy and swapped into the spare car, but was still unable to match the young gun, who finished the day in eighth position.
Schumacher didn’t actually race this chassis, with it being handed over to de Cesaris who had placed 7th in the previous Hungarian Grand Prix. He then ran as high as second around Spa before being forced to retire. Schumacher, meanwhile, managed less than a lap in chassis number five after destroying the clutch at the start.
Chassis number six served as the spare car for the rest of the season having done its job of launching Schumacher’s stellar career. In 2021 it was brought out of retirement and driven by his son Mick in an emotional piece for TV’s Sky Sports F1. “Feeling and knowing that my dad raced this car as his first race car, is very special,” said Schumacher junior.
Despite its incredible provenance previous buyers haven’t held on to the car for long, and it doesn’t appear to have been the profit machine that they may have hoped for. In 2021 it sold for £1.2m and then again in 2023 for €1,495,000 (£1.3m).
Schumacher’s Jordan is now for sale with the price on application at DK Engineering in Hertfordshire.
