Senna's car was the most piece of vital evidence in the court case against Williams, but after the case was closed didi they get back the car.
I remember hearing something about how Patrick Head, Adrian Newey and Frank Williams saying that there team could do a better analysis of the car than anyone else (this would be like giving a murderer the weapon used to attack somebody so they could keep in a safe place) and they could not properly conduct there defence if they did not evaluate the car.
Have Williams got back Senna's car
Started by
jvl
, Feb 18 2002 13:55
13 replies to this topic
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#2
AdrianM
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Posted 18 February 2002 - 13:58
I believe that after the trial it was, on the request of SirFW, destroyed.
#3
fines
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Posted 18 February 2002 - 16:52
VERY bad choice of words...Originally posted by jvl
(this would be like giving a murderer the weapon used to attack somebody so they could keep in a safe place)
#4
tim
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Posted 18 February 2002 - 17:15
I remember reading an article about it in Autosport (I think) about a year or so ago, stating that the car was still locked up somewhere in Italy (can't remember where). If Williams get it returned, there is no doubt that it will be destroyed.
#5
DEVO
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Posted 18 February 2002 - 18:06
I thought Ferrari ended up getting a hold of it??? How do you think they got so good? 
#6
Amir_S
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Posted 18 February 2002 - 18:38
I think I read somewhere in Christopher Hiltons book " As time goes by" that it was locked up in a policestation in Bologna and that the officials refused anybody including the people from Williams acces to it. There were however some new pictures that had been taken secretely in 98 by somebody and one could clearly see that the car was in really bad shape. It was pretty rusty.
#7
Ferrari_F1_fan_2001
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Posted 18 February 2002 - 18:54
rusty? i thought the car was made of carbon fibre, i can ubderstand what u mean tho, car must be pretty dirty and stuff,
#8
614david
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Posted 18 February 2002 - 18:55
Williams requested permission from the Italian courts to inspect the car, just after the accident, they were denied. The courts told them that the car was vital evidence and would be looked at by the courts alone.
Williams argued that they best people to identify a fault on the car would be the people who built it. Still they were denied.
A few years ago, Patrick Head was asked if Williams would still want that car back. His reply was to the effect that it would no longer be o any use to anybody, and that by now the metal would be so corroded that it would be impossible to deduce anything from the wreck.
That is partly why the exact circumstances surrounding Ayrton's death will never be known.
It was once said that the car was still kept in a shed somewhere on the land belonging to the Imola circuit. I suspect that is rumour.
It was also speculated that the black box which could have been used to pull data from the final few secounds of the crash, was removed from the car, and turned up some months later severely damaged, such as that which a hammer could inflict.
The camera shot focusing on Senna as he entered the corner also pulled away from him just prior to the crash, and can only be seen from the top of Schumachers car.
The car would, by now, be utterly useless to anybody, and would serve no purpose but to dredge up bitter memories and sensitive debate.
The mystery surrounding the last few seconds of that awful crash will always mean that people will never think of Ayrton Senna, and see a bright yellow helmet, or a fluttering Brazilian flag held aloft on the podium, or even think of the man or the technical ability he had.
I've asked people before about Ayrton Senna- people who aren't as into racing as we are.
Their response is always- 'wasn't that the guy who was killed in some crash in Italy?'
For me, that is the real tragedy.
I'm glad they haven't got the car- it would only make things worse:(
Williams argued that they best people to identify a fault on the car would be the people who built it. Still they were denied.
A few years ago, Patrick Head was asked if Williams would still want that car back. His reply was to the effect that it would no longer be o any use to anybody, and that by now the metal would be so corroded that it would be impossible to deduce anything from the wreck.
That is partly why the exact circumstances surrounding Ayrton's death will never be known.
It was once said that the car was still kept in a shed somewhere on the land belonging to the Imola circuit. I suspect that is rumour.
It was also speculated that the black box which could have been used to pull data from the final few secounds of the crash, was removed from the car, and turned up some months later severely damaged, such as that which a hammer could inflict.
The camera shot focusing on Senna as he entered the corner also pulled away from him just prior to the crash, and can only be seen from the top of Schumachers car.
The car would, by now, be utterly useless to anybody, and would serve no purpose but to dredge up bitter memories and sensitive debate.
The mystery surrounding the last few seconds of that awful crash will always mean that people will never think of Ayrton Senna, and see a bright yellow helmet, or a fluttering Brazilian flag held aloft on the podium, or even think of the man or the technical ability he had.
I've asked people before about Ayrton Senna- people who aren't as into racing as we are.
Their response is always- 'wasn't that the guy who was killed in some crash in Italy?'
For me, that is the real tragedy.
I'm glad they haven't got the car- it would only make things worse:(
#9
Ferrari_F1_fan_2001
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Posted 18 February 2002 - 18:57
Originally posted by fines
VERY bad choice of words...
i agree with that, it wasnt a murder weapon, the car bottomed out accordin to experts, but was no murder weapon otherwise it would have been deemed illegal and not used
#10
Amir_S
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Posted 18 February 2002 - 18:58
Quote from "As time goes by":
" And one final mini-mystery, the whereabouts of the car?
It was held in the garage of a police station in bologna. I don't know whether it's still there any longer [ autumn 1998] but I suppose it still is. They won't let you have sight of it. As far as I know about it's condition, it's pretty bad. When I talked to Patrick Head I remember him complaining some of the car's components were so rusted that there was no way you could use them in a proper investigation. He said some of the parts were covered with rust. I haven't seen the car myself but I have seen pictures. I don't know who took them.
This leads to a further mini-mystery. A member of the Autosprint editorial team, either knows, or has a shrewd idea, how a photograph was taken surreptitiously and smuggled out. Beyond that he would not say one word. Instead he just looked conspiratorial."
This was an excerpt from an interview Hilton did with a journalist from Italian Autosprint. I believe the pictures that he is refering to can be seen at the S-files site.
" And one final mini-mystery, the whereabouts of the car?
It was held in the garage of a police station in bologna. I don't know whether it's still there any longer [ autumn 1998] but I suppose it still is. They won't let you have sight of it. As far as I know about it's condition, it's pretty bad. When I talked to Patrick Head I remember him complaining some of the car's components were so rusted that there was no way you could use them in a proper investigation. He said some of the parts were covered with rust. I haven't seen the car myself but I have seen pictures. I don't know who took them.
This leads to a further mini-mystery. A member of the Autosprint editorial team, either knows, or has a shrewd idea, how a photograph was taken surreptitiously and smuggled out. Beyond that he would not say one word. Instead he just looked conspiratorial."
This was an excerpt from an interview Hilton did with a journalist from Italian Autosprint. I believe the pictures that he is refering to can be seen at the S-files site.
#11
astaan
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Posted 18 February 2002 - 21:24
Just thought I'd show this as well:
http://a324.g.akamai...s/diapo_108.jpg
I believe that the Senna logo has been on the Williams in this location since Senna's death. A mark of respect by Frank Williams, I believe.
http://a324.g.akamai...s/diapo_108.jpg
I believe that the Senna logo has been on the Williams in this location since Senna's death. A mark of respect by Frank Williams, I believe.
#13
astaan
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Posted 18 February 2002 - 23:23
Thanks, SlateGrey. 
#14
mikedeering
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Posted 19 February 2002 - 12:33
Talking of tragic racing cars:
Wasn't Rindt's Lotus 72 from Monza 1970 kept in a garage at Monza for years afterwards before being sold off (rather morbid) to a private collector?
I know Peterson's Lotus 78 from Monza 1978 was bundled onto the Lotus transporter and rushed out of Italy on orders of Colin Chapman - he told the truck driver to get to France as quick as possible.
Wasn't Rindt's Lotus 72 from Monza 1970 kept in a garage at Monza for years afterwards before being sold off (rather morbid) to a private collector?
I know Peterson's Lotus 78 from Monza 1978 was bundled onto the Lotus transporter and rushed out of Italy on orders of Colin Chapman - he told the truck driver to get to France as quick as possible.
