Schumacher’s iconic first race winner is for sale

The Benetton B192-05 in which Michael Schumacher claimed his first F1 victory is up for sale.

Days after the German’s 57th birthday, Broad Arrow has announced the sale of one of the most iconic cars in Formula One history, the 1992 Benetton B192-05 that Schumacher drove to his first Grand Prix victory at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium in August 1992.

Chassis B192-05 stands as one of the most consequential and iconic F1 cars of the modern era, designed by another legendary figure in motorsport, Rory Byrne. As the last race-winning F1 car with a manual gearbox, it represents a turning point, where talent, engineering clarity, and instinct aligned to begin a dynasty. For collectors, it is not simply an opportunity to acquire a Schumacher-era Benetton, but to secure an artifact from the very moment Formula One changed course.

The word iconic is frequently overused in an effort to elevate otherwise important machines, yet no such qualification is required here. Chassis B192-05 is the Benetton that carried Michael Schumacher to his first Formula One victory, prevailing over the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Mika Hakkinen on the sport’s most demanding circuit and in its most exacting conditions as heavy rain dominated most of the race.

Crossing the line first after 44 laps and hundreds of gear changes put through the H-pattern six-speed manual transmission around the Ardennes, Schumacher’s maiden Grand Prix victory came exactly one year after he made his auspicious debut at the same circuit.

This is the car that launched a record-setting career for Schumacher, with seven Drivers’ Championship titles, 91 victories, and the most pole positions (68), podium finishes (155), and fastest laps (77) at the time of his retirement.

The car remained at Renault’s Enstone headquarters following their acquisition of the Benetton race team and formed part of their Classic Department collection until 2015, when it was sold, along with two other Benetton chassis, to LRS Formula, owned by Laurent Redon, a specialist in the operation of 1990s and 2000s Formula One cars. Redon’s name should be familiar to racing fans with the Frenchman himself testing for Minardi in 1998 and later for Benetton in 1999. A 2024 sales sheet attestation signed by Redon confirms chassis B192-05 was completely restored to working order while under LRS’ care with a chassis overhaul and an engine and gearbox rebuild. In 2016, the Benetton was acquired by the consignor, a well-known racer of modern F1 machinery. The car is expected to bring in excess of €8.500.000 (£7.4m / $10m) when it crosses the virtual auction block later this month.

“We cannot overstate how honoured we are to be able to publicly offer, for the first time ever, the Benetton that first put Michael Schumacher on the top step of the F1 podium,” said Yves Boitel, Car Specialist at Broad Arrow. “This is undoubtedly one of the most famous cars in Formula One history, one that not only signalled the start of one of the greatest F1 careers of all time, but which also marked the end of the glorious era of manual gearboxes at the pinnacle of motorsport. We expect its presentation in our Global Icons: Europe Online sale to attract significant interest from top collectors around the world.”

“Michael Schumacher’s B192-05 is without question one of the most iconic race cars of all time, perfectly fitting the theme of our Global Icons: Online series of auctions,” added Joe Twyman, VP of Sales for Broad Arrow’s EMEA Region. “We are tremendously excited to present it alongside some of the most iconic collector cars from motoring history, together with a carefully curated selection of highly desirable memorabilia to suit all budgets.

“We are expecting a great deal of interest from collectors around the world for what will be an exciting start to the Broad Arrow Auctions calendar for 2026. We look forward to sharing complete details of our live preview events during Retromobile week in the coming days.”

The car is offered as part of Broad Arrow’s Global Icons: Europe Online auction, with bidding open from 23-30 January.