In 1991, its debut season, the Williams-Renault FW14 won seven of 16 races on the Formula 1 calendar, but mishaps and mechanical issues kept the team and its drivers from earning championships. In the off-season, the FW14 evolved into the FW14B, which would go on to win 10 races in 1992, including a record-setting nine by world champion Nigel Mansell. Chassis FW14B/08, which Mansell drove to five wins and six poles on his way to the title in 1992, will be crossing the auction block at Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale, taking place on July 5, 2019, at the firm’s New Bond Street facility in London, England.

The FW14B was a technological masterpiece, and perhaps the most complex F1 car ever created. Taking advantage of gaps in the FISA’s rulebook, the Williams-Renault was equipped with a cutting-edge active suspension (developed in partnership with AP Racing), a semi-automatic gearbox, electronic traction control, anti-lock brakes (late in the 1992 season), electronic data logging, and an exhaust-blown diffuser to supplement rear downforce. Power came from a 3.5-liter Renault V-10, widely believed to be among the most powerful engines on that season’s starting grid.

High-speed engineering that forever changed F1.