The Benetton-Ford B194 was the car used by Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher to the first of his seven world titles in one of the most contentious seasons in the history of the sport and thus launch one of the most remarkable sporting careers ever.
1994 was a tragic year in which Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna was killed in a crash during the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in May. A day earlier Roland Ratzenberger lost his life in a qualifying accident.
It was dark times for Formula 1, but from the cauldron of tragedy Schumacher affirmed himself as the man to beat in the Benetton B194 powered by a 3.5 litre Cosworth-built Ford EC Zetec-R badged engine, for which the team built a transverse 6-speed semi-automatic gearbox.
The car was designed by Rory Byrne whose technical team at the time included Ross Brawn and Nikolas Tombazis, under the leadership of Flavio Briatore.
Despite Schumacher winning the first four races of that season, the B194 proved a tough car to tame and as a result, the German had three teammates during the 16-race season. JJ Lehto, Jos Verstappen and Johnny Herbert struggled to come to terms with the car.
Verstappen, who drove it on ten occasions that year, told Joe Saward a couple of years later, "I must have a little the same driving style as Johnny because he said basically the same things about that car that I did and seems to have had the same feelings.
"It was a very difficult car. You could not feel the limit and so you were pushing and pushing and then suddenly it would have oversteer. Normally when you get oversteer you can control it but the Benetton would go very suddenly and so you ended up having a spin. I had big problems with that car," admitted Verstappen.
In contrast, Schumacher in the sister car adapted to its foibles and turned it into a world-beater.
By the time the dust settled on a season packed with polemics, in the wake of the two early-season tragedies, the B194 won eight times and Schumi went on to win the title under controversial circumstances.
Nevertheless, he was F1 World Champion for the first time and, with this car, Schumacher began an incredible odyssey which has him as the most successful Formula 1 driver of all time and for many the greatest too.
To commemorate the car raced by Schumi that season and one final time at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, Minichamps have produced a limited edition version of the Mild Seven liveried Benetton-Ford B194 as part of their ultra-exclusive 1: 8 scale model collection which remains true-to-original lifesize design.
Minichamps' passion for the sport, unmatched craftsmanship and model-building art combine to produce an exclusive model of maximum authenticity in this 1:8 scale representation of a very important car in the history of F1.
The 'Mini' B194 is almost 60cm long and consists of 82 components that are assembled by hand and strictly limited to 300 numbered pieces. The model is delivered in a special bespoke box and weighs in around 10 kilograms.
The piece is available for purchase here.
