Ferrari F310 Michael Schumacher 1996 by Minichamps 1:12 Scale

Facts are hard to argue with, and the fact that Formula One driver Michael Schumacher has won a record seven World Championships places him firmly in the pantheon of legendary F-1 pilots. Five of the seven titles came while in the employ of motorsports giant Scuderia Ferrari, and seeing Schumacher's brilliant red machine leading a train of F-1 cars around the world's racing circuits became almost routine.

It all had to start somewhere, and by the time Schumi made the transition to Ferrari, he already had two World Championships under his belt with Bennetton in 1994 and 1995. June 6 of 1996 proved fateful when Schumacher, behind the wheel of his Ferrari F310 took the victory at the Spanish Grand Prix in a torrential downpour. In a display of masterful driving, he lapped the entire field, and was five seconds per lap faster than his nearest competitor. It was his first win for Ferrari, and the beginning of an epic relationship between driver and race team that changed history.

Minichamps, a model company that has produced thousands of 1996 F310's, from a diminutive 1:87 scale to the popular 1:18 scale, released a very limited number of examples in 1:12 scale in their Michael Schumacher Collection. They are nicely detailed and feature a likeness of Schumi in the cockpit wearing the season's correct suit and helmet. Because of the model's size, details are very crisp and the piece has a real presence, measuring in at fifteen inches in length. The barge boards, wings, winglets and aerodynamic vanes are well represented as are the on-board cameras that turned F-1 audiences into near-participants during racing.

This particular model is in excellent condition, is supplied without its original box, and excepting missing decals on the front wing's leading edge. Great value for money.