1980 and 1990s F1 cars at the Goodwood Festival

2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed

Posted on

| Written by

The Jordan 191, often hailed as one of the most beautiful F1 cars of all time, is among the collection of eighties and nineties machines at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The first F1 car built by Jordan was used by Michael Schumacher to make his debut in the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix.

It’s joined by an early Adrian Newey car – the Leyton House CG901B, which came oh-so-close to winning the 1990 French Grand Prix in Ivan Capelli’s hands.

There are also a few turbo machines. The 183T marked Alfa Romeo’s switch from V12 to turbo power in 1983. It also saw the team replaced much of their classic racing red with the green hues of Benetton. Unfortunately, the car was highly unreliable.

Another eighties backmarker, the Zakspeed 871, is on show. It appeared on special narrow tyres used by teams during the period to manoeuvre the car more easily in the pits.

You can see more pictures of the Lotuses on show here:

Goodwood Festival of Speed

Browse all Goodwood Festival of Speed articles

Images © F1 Fanatic

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

13 comments on “1980 and 1990s F1 cars at the Goodwood Festival”

  1. Everything about the Jordan 191 just looks right. The drooping nose, the swooping front wing, the beautifully sculpted airbox that almost comes to a point, the triple element rear wing, the impossibly low and slender sidepods, it is just a gorgeous gorgeous thing that looks right from every angle. The fantastic green and blue livery just makes the car come alive.

    Over the years I have come to love this car, it really is my all time favourite. If I’m asked what an F1 car should look like, I’ll always respond by pointing to a picture of the Jordan 191. It really is a piece of art.

    1. @GeeMac I have to agree there, one of my all time favorites. Gary Anderson was the man behind it right?

      1. He was indeed.

    2. xeroxpt (@)
      2nd July 2012, 3:34

      I like it but, the front wing and the livery are a bit dodgy the thing is that the car became legendary for creating the schumacher legend everytime we picture it in our minds the car looks stunning and the guy driving it is schumacher.

      1. It isn’t the Schumacher thing for me, if anything that angle spoils the car a bit for me because I’ve never been a fan of his! It’s just a very aesthetically pleasing car.

        1. for me neither he actually didnt drive the full season, nontheless it is constantly reminded because it was his first drive in F1 therefore it could create some mental association, and if you google jordan 191 the first bloke driving it is that german.

  2. I know the look of cars is very subjective, but for me a hint of ugliness (i.e. unattractive functionality covered up as much as possible, but still visible) conveys seriousness. A thoroughly beautiful car is too much like insubstantial eye candy, something any designer can dream up on his computer without regard to real-life implications.

    Sure enough, Jordan 191 actually worked, not just looked nice on somebody’s screen, it’s just that I personally can’t get enamored of such bland beautifulness.

    1. I think I know what you mean, but the 191 wasn’t just “beauty for beauty’s sake”, it did help Jordan to 5th in the WCC in their first year and it’s design was highly effective from an engineering point of view. Prost did say that the 191 was only one car on the grid that was impressive to follow through a quick corner because the diffuser worked so well. (See the article Keith referenced above on this).

    2. Indeed. A really great looking car that just LOOKS fast. The livery is a welcome injection of colour!

  3. That Layton house has to be one of m, no, it is my favorite ever F1 car. Just beautiful.

    1. xeroxpt (@)
      2nd July 2012, 3:56

      me too, i wasnt born when it raced but rewatching old footage i keep looking for Capelli and the Layton House.

  4. I really like the 191 from the front, but from the side its looks don’t appeal to me. Perhaps it’s the combination of the concave airbox with the convex nose (or is the other way around?), the driver seems to sit too far forward, and the front-wing endplates point down in an angle that does not quite please me aesthetically. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s an ugly car, but for me it’s not a contender for best-looking F1 car ever.

    1. xeroxpt (@)
      2nd July 2012, 3:58

      That’s exactly what i think, it has that iconic feel but if you strip your mind of it there are some detail as you pinted out that dont add up.

Comments are closed.