Williams FW13B for sale

[Piginapoke]

In a little Christmas treat, my favourite F1 car gets the Chris Harris treatment, along with Jonathan Williams- a lovely video of a (to me) beautiful F1 car:

https://youtu.be/QEt36u4KJuk?si=0850a4shJ7KNrvie

Edited by Piginapoke on Monday 11th December 20:25

[Koln-RS]

Is now the best time to be selling a car like that?

Yes, it could make a nice Christmas pressy, but surely it would be better presented at a big ‘back drop’ event like the Goodwood FoS in the height of the season?

[InformationSuperHighway]

Koln-RS said:

Is now the best time to be selling a car like that?

Yes, it could make a nice Christmas pressy, but surely it would be better presented at a big ‘back drop’ event like the Goodwood FoS in the height of the season?

Could be a variety of reasons for selling.. could even be forced / not ideal to cover debt for example.

[FourWheelDrift]

But you'd still be wanting an FW14.

[BlimeyCharlie]

Shame it isn't in the 'correct' livery from that win at Hungary 1990.

And Boutsen decided that after winning that race, and nobody (I guess Management) was around to celebrate with him from Williams, that he decided to leave the team for 1991...

There is an interview with him called 'Inside Track' where he says this...filmed at Spa in 1991

Obviously there was Mansell's return (then) in the background too, but there seemed to be a recurring theme at Williams.

[flatlandsman]

No being funny but even though he was a pain in the arse, Niggel was a fair step up from Boutsen, Thierry was a great driver but not a top level one, he had his time, won races and had a great career and continues to as a team owner, sounds like sour grapes to me, Mansell was a potential champion, not something Boutsen could ever lay claim to.

[Piginapoke]

FourWheelDrift said:

But you'd still be wanting an FW14.

Not to look at!

[BlimeyCharlie]

flatlandsman said:

No being funny but even though he was a pain in the arse, Niggel was a fair step up from Boutsen, Thierry was a great driver but not a top level one, he had his time, won races and had a great career and continues to as a team owner, sounds like sour grapes to me, Mansell was a potential champion, not something Boutsen could ever lay claim to.

Possibly so, but to win a race on merit, staying ahead of Senna, you'd expect the team management to be there to celebrate?

Boutsen was no Mansell, pros and some cons I guess with that, but his win at Hungary in 1990 was an incredible feat.

And it must be remembered that initially Patrese was beating Mansell in the Williams in 1991, as it wasn't a fully active car until several races in. Patrese and Boutsen were comparable for pace when team mates at Williams in 1989 and 1990, so Boutsen was no slouch.

The engineering detail of the car in question here is really quite interesting, as at the time it wasn't something we'd ever see.

[ralphrj]

BlimeyCharlie said:

And it must be remembered that initially Patrese was beating Mansell in the Williams in 1991, as it wasn't a fully active car until several races in.

I didn't think that the 1991 FW14 was ever an active car? The FW14 had conventional springs and dampers and the FW14B had active suspension. Williams took the FW14B to the final race of 1991 in Australia but did not race it so it only ever competed in the 1992 season.

[BlimeyCharlie]

ralphrj said:

BlimeyCharlie said:

And it must be remembered that initially Patrese was beating Mansell in the Williams in 1991, as it wasn't a fully active car until several races in.

I didn't think that the 1991 FW14 was ever an active car? The FW14 had conventional springs and dampers and the FW14B had active suspension. Williams took the FW14B to the final race of 1991 in Australia but did not race it so it only ever competed in the 1992 season.

I stand corrected...the FW14 car of 1991 had an auto gearbox, traction control and passive suspension.

[Teppic]

ralphrj said:

BlimeyCharlie said:

And it must be remembered that initially Patrese was beating Mansell in the Williams in 1991, as it wasn't a fully active car until several races in.

I didn't think that the 1991 FW14 was ever an active car? The FW14 had conventional springs and dampers and the FW14B had active suspension. Williams took the FW14B to the final race of 1991 in Australia but did not race it so it only ever competed in the 1992 season.

Strictly speaking it wasn't the FW14B that they took to Adelaide in 1991. Mansell did test an FW14 fitted with active suspension in free practice, which was reverted to standard suspension for qualifying and the race.



Edit: Excuse the poor image quality as it was grabbed from a Youtube video, but this is the FW14 Active test mule in Free Practice in Adelaide 1991. Notice how much more bulbous the suspension covers are on the nose, which became smaller and more streamlined for FW14B.

Edited by Teppic on Wednesday 20th December 17:19

[BlimeyCharlie]

Out of curiosity I looked on Youtube for the 1991 Australian race and practice etc.

Several enjoyable hours later...I found some great stuff from Australian TV broadcast each day, with Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda in the studio, Alan Jones and Barry Sheene in the pitlane, Senna, Mansell, Berger etc - great stuff.

1991 was the year we had Prost, Alesi, Berger, Senna, Piquet, Mansell, Patrese, Hakkinen, Schumacher...V10's, V12's, V8's...

Thanks for originally posting about the FW13 being sold - would never have sat and watched all this today.

[F1GTRUeno]

Nige tested the 13B at the end of the season, told them that the suspension was rock hard and not helping, they changed it and he went quite a bit faster than Boutsen and Patrese if I remember right.

Strikes me a bit like Newey in his Leyton House days, running the car impossibly stiff at a cost of compromise.

It's a lovely thing though from the best era of F1. I had the pleasure of seeing it up close last year at Goodwood and the patina and history (the stickers in the cockpit are one of my favourite Williams ideas) hit you.

Hopefully whoever buys it demonstrates it properly because it was static last year though I believe the previous owner did a day at Jerez with Karun Chandhok later last year.

[Byker28i]

I like the idea you get a book with the history of the car fully researched.