Michael Schumacher’s first taste of Formula 1 glory has just changed hands – and while the price tag was eye-watering, it still fell short of the lofty expectations set before the gavel dropped.
The Benetton B192, the very machine that carried a young German to his maiden Grand Prix victory in 1992, just went under the hammer at Broad Arrow Auctions for €5,082,000.
A colossal figure by any standard – yet notably below its pre-sale estimate of €8.5 million. In other words, the car fetched a fortune, but not quite the jackpot many had predicted.
For collectors and fans alike, this was no ordinary piece of motorsport memorabilia. It was the opening chapter of one of Formula 1’s most dominant careers, frozen in carbon fibre and Ford V8 thunder.
The First Step of a Seven-Title Journey
The B192 is etched into racing folklore as the car Schumacher drove to victory at the rain-soaked 1992 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps – the moment the future seven-time world champion announced himself to the sport’s elite.
Designed by Rory Byrne and fielded by a Benetton outfit led by Flavio Briatore with Ross Brawn pulling strategic strings, the car represented the scrappy challenger taking on at the time the might of Williams and McLaren.
Auctioneers described the machine as “the essential spark that begins a legend,” portraying it as the humble starting point of Schumacher’s extraordinary ascent.
The car itself – chassis #5 – competed in five Grands Prix with the German at the wheel and formed part of a season that yielded 11 podiums, a win, and two fastest laps shared between Schumacher and teammate Martin Brundle.
Read also:
Visually unforgettable in its vivid yellow-and-green livery, the B192 was powered by a 3.5-litre Ford V8 producing up to 680 horsepower – and it holds another slice of history as Benetton’s final manual-gearbox Formula 1 car.
The final sale figure may have missed its ambitious estimate, but the premium price still underscores the car’s immense historical gravity. This wasn’t just a chassis number crossing an auction block – it was the very first rung on the ladder of a dynasty.
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook
