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LOT 130 Yellow & Black
Irishman Eddie Jordan brought a touch of glamour and excitement to the otherwise staid and corporate world of Formula One when his team burst onto the scene in 1991. Invariably photographed with a bevy of gorgeous grid girls, Jordan’s ‘Rock and Roll’ lifestyle earned him a playboy image but the team also put in some solid results, largely thanks to Technical Director Gary Anderson. The debut season is perhaps best remembered for Michael Schumacher replacing the infamous Bernard Gachot (whose dislike of taxi drivers prematurely ended his racing career) at Spa before the rising German star was poached by Flavio Briatore’s Benetton team. Struggling to capitalise on their early promise, Jordan became famous for giving rising stars like Eddie Irvine and Rubens Barrichello their start in F1. Son of former World Champion and legendary driver Graham Hill, Damon Hill’s F1 career began as a test driver for Williams in 1991 before joining Brabham the following year. Hill replaced Nigel Mansell at Williams in 1993 and scored his own Championship win for Frank’s team in 1996. Famously dumped by Williams for 1997, Hill did one forgettable season with Arrows before signing for Jordan the following year – as a former graduate of their F3000 programme, Hill enjoyed a good relationship with the team. For 1998, Jordan switched to Mugen (Honda) power with Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher as their driver line-up. Off the pace for the first half of the season, the Anderson-designed 198 really began to shine towards the end of the year. The highlight of the season was without doubt the one-two at Spa in the wet, Jordan’s first ever Grand Prix win, Damon leading Ralf home to a famous victory. It was also Hill’s 22nd (and final) career win in an F1 car and slightly controversial, Ralf believing team orders had prevented him from winning. The 198 had a good season, taking three podiums and the Irish outfit finished fourth in the Constructors Championship, with Hill fifth in the final standings. In 1999, Eddie Jordan signed up a new Technical Director, Mike Gascoyne, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen replaced Schumacher. The Benson & Hedges sponsored team enjoyed its best season yet, finishing third in the Constructors and the young German had a great year, winning twice and taking third in the Drivers standings. Unfortunately, Damon didn’t enjoy much luck and retired from Formula One at the end of the year. Finished in the distinctive yellow and black ‘Buzzin’ Hornets’ livery, Jordan 198-009 has a plate dating the car to May 1998 and is substantially complete apart from missing the engine and a few minor ancillaries. The Jordan is a fantastic display item, perfect for the Damon Hill collector, or indeed any fan of F1.
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