It was 70 years ago today, July 14, that Ferrari earned its first-ever victory in Formula 1. That win was earned with the 375 F1, which the company has restored in time for this weekend’s Silverstone Grand Prix.
The race will be of particular significance for Ferrari because its first-ever win came at Silverstone in 1951 with Jose Froilan Gonzalez at the wheel. To celebrate the occasion, Charles Leclerc will drive it on an exhibition lap of the historic race track ahead of the race.
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Although Ferrari is trying to build up a little bit of tension before fully unveiling the restored car, it has released a video highlighting some of the processes it went through to bring the car back to 1951-spec for its owner.
Diving into the archives, which cover the full history of the brand, the manufacturer was able to dedicate a small team to rebuilding the original 4.5-liter V12 back to its original splendor. The team specifies that it has avoided doing work that Ferrari‘s engineers couldn’t have done back in 1951.
The restoration team had the assembly sheet of the engine, the register of the races, and the complete bill of materials of the car. The team even had the original chassis drawings helping it to rebuild the car exactly how it would have been when it won its first race.
Driven in ten Grands Prix, the 375 F1 eventually won three races in all, with the two other victories coming at the Nurburgring and Monza. Over the years, Ferrari handed it over to some of its most famous modern drivers, including Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, to allow them to show off the brand’s history.