The 1979 Williams FW07/01 with which Alan Jones won the Dutch Grand prix is for sale by auction. Online race car sales specialist racecarsdirect.com is selling the unique Grand prix model. The car underwent a full restoration.
The FW07 was Williams Grand Prix Engineering’s first attempt at a ground effect car
This example, FW07/01, was raced eight times during 1979, in the hands of Alan Jones and Clay Regazzoni. Jones claimed victory in the Dutch GP at Zandvoort.
FW07/01 went on to race in the 1980 Aurora AFX British F1 Championship, with four poles and three wins. Eliseo Salazar secured two victories, while Emilio de Villota also took the chequered flag.
After this stint in the Aurora series and various other race outings, FW07/01 was exhibited as part of the Williams Grand Prix Collection. It is one of the largest private collections of Formula 1 cars in the world.
FW07/01, along with its sister car FW07/02, took pride of place in a collection which spans the entire history of the Williams Formula One team.
In 2013/2014, the car underwent a complete, ground-up restoration by John Cadd of JC Historics. Cadd started his race career at Williams in 1979, coincidentally at the same time that FW07/01 made its debut. He was initially part of the test team, before becoming part of the race team.
Cadd continued this role until he took over custodianship of the Williams Grand Prix Collection, which he continued to do for the next ten years.
The restoration project took over 1,000 man hours and FW07/01 was painstakingly restored as close to the original specification as possible, in some cases with original Williams parts
When original parts were not available, replacement items were manufactured to the highest racing standards, using original drawings or templates.
Both engine and gearbox have been completely rebuilt by specialists Geoff Richardson Engineering and BPA Engineering Ltd. The car now wears the livery which it ran, when Jones and FW07/01 won their first race together at Zandvoort in 1979.
Fully restored, it is powered by the ubiquitous Ford-sponsored Cosworth DFV (V8) engine. The #27 FW07/01 is back on the track where it belongs so that others can admire this truly historic car – as was the case over three decades ago.
On 2 June 2017, the FW07/01 was invited to Silverstone, to mark 40 years of Williams. In front of over 50,000 spectators, the FW07/01 lined up alongside other iconic cars from the team’s Formula One history.
The auction is now open and will conclude at 5.00pm BST Saturday 31st March.
