Ayrton Senna's FW16 finally released by the Italian authorities.

[kmchow]

IMO, it would be a bigger waste to lock the car up and throw away the key, as suggested by some members! This car is a major part of F1 history. What is wrong with displaying the car as a sober reminder of motor racing accidents and as a tribute to Senna?

OTOH, what would people think if the car was auctioned off, but proceeds went to develop and support new F1 talent? The money would then be well spent?

[Lee Janotta]

I simply feel that the car reminds us of Senna in a way he should _not_ be remembered. After 8 years, the memory is still too fresh. When people think of Senna, they should think of Donnington in '93, or Jerez '85 (he was truly a God in the rain). Do most fans think of his fatal crash when they think of Gilles Villeneuve? Yes, but it's _always_ secondary to the incredible battle with Arnoux at Dijon in '79. As time passes, Senna's death will gain that ultimate level of acceptance. But until then, it's best the car be hidden away, rather than allow some opportunist to profit from this still open wound.

As for auctioning it off to raise money for young racers? No, the ends don't justify the means. Frank Williams already owns the car, and doesn't need to try and make money off it. The idea that the car could end up in the hands of some collector or investor with no connection to Senna, or even any real interest in auto racing, turns my stomach. No... We still have to have standards of good taste. Maybe after 20 years, it'll be different. Maybe after 50... I don't know.

Displaying it publicly wouldn't be good either. As I said, it's an open wound... And rather than speaking to safety, it'd likely drive people away from motorsport. Senna's death snapped us out of a long period of complacency, where we hadn't lost a world champion for decades. It reminded us that we're all vulnerable. Every time a driver straps him or herself into a race car, it could be the last time. It's not something you want to be reminded of. If it could happen to Senna, it can happen to _anyone_.

[Guy Goddard]

Whatever the view point the Williams car of Senna's is too important to destroy and Im sure the first thing Williams will do is try and see if the remains shed any further light to the failure which caused his death.
A sensitive issue, although I wonder what happened to the Simtex of Rolands after the crash maybe this will put it into perspective.


Guy

[Number Juan]

well seeing as we have forgotten it, i suppose its in a garage or destroyed. his car was more of a wreck than Senna's and again, just as horrible as Senna's. i think that people are ranking one man's death above another, yes i agree that Roland's death is a lot less in the spotlight but i get the feeling the press and websites on the net have said words to the effect of: "well Senna was a world champion - so his death is more important" well i say **** that.

lock it up in a garage, it has been so far and been relatively forgotten. leave it but dont put it in a museum parading it around like a scalp - a sick and heartless 'show'. i have very strong feelings on the events at imola. i dont want to see the mental images again.

[Sato san]

im not sure on this one , but maybe it would be best if it was totally scrapped . As there will always be someone somewhere that would like to get their hands on that car...In a way , abit like the film LA PASSIONE , where a rich man ends up buying the remianing parts of WOLFGANG VON TRIPP's Ferrari that he was killed in at Monza. I know its only a film , but i'm sure someone would want it as a trophy or something , as alot of people have very bad taste .

[Roy2]

"I have very strong feelings on the events at Imola. I don't want to see the mental images again."

And Frank Williams doesn't and does? It ain't going to happen. If Senna or any driver died in a car I made I would hate the sight of the bloody thing and it wouldn't survive for posterity or anything else.

Williams will eliminate if from the face of the earth.

[kmchow]

I'm probably the most naive person around here, but...

Who in the right mind would be morbid enough to spend tonnes of money on a totaled race car?? OTOH, I'm not sure how much a totaled Senna car could be worth?? Surely, if you had the money, you would buy a working one.

It seems everyone is against auctioning off the car. F1 may not need it, but how about auctioning the car off and using the proceeds for more racing safety research?

[Spudgun]

I'm sorry, but I have to say this.. People are suggesting the car should be displayed as a 'major part of F1 history', but hey come on, what about all the over drivers who have died taking part in F1? This is by no means a definitive list, but how many of the following have the car they died in on public display?

Gilles Villeneuve
Jim Clark
Elio de Angelis
Francois Cevert
Jochen Rindt
Roland Ratzenberger

I know Senna was the greatest of the 80's and early '90's, but come on, he is not bigger than F1. Other people have died in F1, not just him. Give a thought to all the others before him. Yes, it shouldn't have happened, but don't put him above everyone else.

[paulzinho]

Thats a fair point Spudgun but IMO the reason he gets more attention in this area is the fact that he died just as F1 was become increasingly popular worldwide, thanks to TV millions saw his death live in front of them. The fact that he was also one of the greatest drivers ever, IMO the greatest, further adds to this.

I'm not trying to say that he is more important than others but the reasons why he is mentioned more often than others are apparant.

[DNQ]

Yeah, gotta agree with you there paulzinho - Ayrton was a superstar, not just in F1 - everyone new him, and he was INVINCBLE, he couldn't die. He was THE michael schumacher of his time. While it may seem harshly unfair, I am not suprised his death generate far more interest than that of any other driver who has been killed.

[Mr V]

it's the age old thing isn't it, if it can happen to senna, it can happen to anyone! where as if it can happen to ratzenburger (and i don't mean this disrespectfully) who hasn't got as much experience, and quite frankly, wasn't as good, then maybe it wouldn't happen to anyone!

because it happened to senna, straight away a mistake was ruled out, where as (as i understood it) ratzenburger's accident happened because of a mistake!

[Acheme]

I think it most likely that Williams will display it at their factory in grove. They will create a shrine from it. However, considering the museum is often visited by sponsors, both current and potential, in might put them off a bit.

I totally understand that some fans might feel uncomfortable about it being on display, but it is one of the most significant cars in modern F1. I'd certainly be interested to view it, not through morbid fascination, but in celebrating the life of a true racer.

[M Coupe]

Remembering back to that day in Imola, I can safely say that the death of Ratzenberger upset me more than that of Senna, why, because it was the first I could remember at a race meeting. Yes I remember De Angelis, Villeneuve etc were before I watched F1 regularly.

IIRC Rolands accident was due to an earlier spin or suchlike where he hit a kerb with the front wing, which was damaged and then broke under braking, causing the fatal accident, I'm sure someone will correct me if my recollectioon is wrong.

My thoughts on the cars final destination mirror what happened to the F2 car which Jim Clark was killed in. After the investigation thecar was destroyed, however a part was given to the Family and now resides in the Museum in Duns, with a picture (as seen in numerous books) behind it. That to me invokes more thought than a whole car would.

[Guy Goddard]

Just another angle on this subject...

When the contract ended between Williams and Renault all engines were returned so another manufacturer could not gain access or copy parts.
So is it notlikely Renault will be claiming the engine rather than leaving it for BMW engineers to have a good look over?



Guy

[racer69]

I think engine technology has come so far in the last eight years that there wouldn't be much useful info. that BMW could gain.

I don't think the car should be put on public display and i definatly don't think it will be auctioned, i can't even believe that auction was ever brought up.

I also definatly don't believe that the car should be destroyed, but should be preserved somewhere at Williams, in a private area.

[Airhead]

Wow.

The BIG question of our time.

What to do with Senna's race car.

Don't you see it doesn't matter. It is a pile of useless metal that only had a purpose and meaning when Ayrton was behind the wheel.

It is the human element that matters. It is the human element that we all mourn.

The rest is nothing but the hopes and sweat of engineers and mechanics. Just metal, plastic and carbon fibre.

[TimD]

How I missed this thread I do not know...

Peter Mallett suggested I read it, because I mentioned that I turned up an advert in a 1958 Autosport offering for sale a car that had been involved in the 1955 Le Mans accident.

There was a fundamental difference, of course. The collision killed 80+ spectators, but the driver of this car was not injured. The car was rebuilt to race readiness and sold on as a racing car.

The question of what to do with the Williams FW16 is a vexed one. I would not see it destroyed. For no other reason than that as an entity, you know where it is. Although it is just plastic, metal and carbon fibre, it is instantly recognisable as the FW16. If you break it up, suddenly an awful lot of bits of metal, plastic and carbon fibre can become "long-lost pieces of the infamous car".

There's precedent for this. In 1964, a driver was killed in a works Aston Martin. The car was reduced to scrap aluminium at the factory, so that it would never be recovered. A quarter century later, a car was doing the rounds that purported to be the long-lost "missing" chassis. Quite apart from the very real distress caused to the family and colleagues of the deceased, the chaos that car caused amongst the motor racing history experts had to be seen to be believed.

If the Williams remains in one piece, that is an outcome that will never be risked.

[Craig]

I say destroy it. Break it up into small bits and then bury them. It should not be displayed or sold, and I think locking it away in a darkened room is not on - something needs to be done to it to allow the people involved in it's design and construction, as well as those on the race team, to finally find peace; to draw a line under the whole terrible business. Frank Williams especially, I'd imagine, I'm sure he'll not want it hanging round in an old shed rotting away and reminding him of that horrible weekend.

A very interesting question was posted here though - what *did* happen to the Ratzenberger car ???

[Mr V]

Originally posted by kmchow
I'm probably the most naive person around here, but...

Who in the right mind would be morbid enough to spend tonnes of money on a totaled race car?? OTOH, I'm not sure how much a totaled Senna car could be worth?? Surely, if you had the money, you would buy a working one.

as i understand it, and i stand to be corrected, but the fateful porsche that james dean was driving in the accident that cost him his life, has changed hands a few times, been totally rebuilt and "paraded" as a bit of history.......now, i don't agree with this, but it's too late, but please, lets not have senna's car on show aswell!