Sitting in Gilles Villeneuve's Ferrari

Seattle collector restores F1 classic - Car raced by Canadian legend

NIKA ROLCZEWSKI SPECIAL TO THE STAR

SEATTLE, Wash.-When Paul Tracy celebrated his CART win this past weekend at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, I thought back to another Canadian racer who made Long Beach an unforgettable race.

In 1979, with ground-effect Formula 1 cars roaring on the track, my hero Gilles Villeneuve stole pole position there in his Ferrari 312 T4 from Lotus 79 driver Carlos Reutemann.

As the story goes, it was a day of confusion at the USA-West race when Villeneuve missed his grid position at the end of the formation lap. Unfazed, he took the first corner side-by-side with rival teammate Jody Scheckter and never looked back

He set the fastest lap of the race at 1:21.20 and flew over the finish line half a minute ahead of the second-placed fellow Ferrari. Of the 24 cars entered, only nine finished the race.

This was one of three first-place finishes for Villeneuve that year and the Ferrari 312 T4 that he raced at Long Beach was retired after just three races - Villeneuve's driving technique was not known to be kind to machinery.

It was sold to a personal friend of Enzo Ferrari himself, who eventually passed it on to a New Zealand collector who shipped it to England and put it up for sale in 2001. A Seattle-area car collector heard of its availability and flew over to take a closer look.

He brought along a leveled-headed business partner to help him in the buying decision. With their best poker faces, they critiqued the car from top to bottom: it needed work - how easy would it be to find the right parts for such a unique piece of machinery? - but when the seller started the engine, the partner's expressionless face cracked an enormous, childlike grin.

An avid fan of Ferrari, Formula 1 racing and Gilles Villeneuve, the Seattle collector knew at the blip of the throttle and roar of the exhaust that he couldn't resist. A year later, after a total restoration in England with the original equipment installed, it was just as Villeneuve drove it in 1979.

And now, 24 years after that historic race, it's my turn to settle into its snug seat.

The collector, Rick, an Internet entrepreneur who asks that his last name not be published, owns other vintage Formula 1 cars, but Villeneuve's 3-litre flat-12 is the pride of his collection.

"The others resemble `kit cars' in comparison to the detailed work that Enzo Ferrari put into his racing machine," he says. And how much did it cost? He smiles secretively. "Compared to other significant Ferraris, I think F1s are a relative bargain."

No one can describe the emotion you feel when you sit in your racing's idol's car. When you place your hands on the steering wheel, the same wheel Villeneuve gripped, you hope that by some form of osmosis you could feel what he did and drive like he could. My heart raced as I remembered Gilles diving into corners with reckless abandon.

When I looked up, I knew Rick understood - this was not just an incredible Ferrari, but one that belonged to Canada's racing legend.

This year, Rick looks forward to taking the car on the track. "When I do drive it this June, it will be a very incredible day for me," he says.

"Not only to drive an F1 Ferrari, but to do it in a car that was driven by one of the greatest, most talented drivers of all time."

The Ferrari's engine makes 515 hp at 12,300 rpm, although its objective was not power but aerodynamic efficiency. The unique design allowed air flow to create maximum adhesion to the track surface, yet some of its competitors did an ever better job. Lotus had its winning ground-effect car in 1978, while the Renault Turbos had more speed and the Williams had more grip.

But in 1979, the reliability of the Ferrari as well as its two talented drivers brought Ferrari the constructors' championship.

I asked Rick why he bought this piece of racing history.

"It was always my dream as a youth to drive for Ferrari," he said. "I never got the chance, but thought I had the talent. So I purchased the next best thing!

"Now I can realize my dream, and provide others the experience of watching and hearing this magnificent race car go by on the track again."

Gilles Villeneuve's life was cut short on May 8, 1982, after a collision during the time trials of the Belgium Grand Prix. He had driven a total of 67 Grand Prixs.

And although Enzo Ferrari called the T4 the ugliest race car to ever leave his factory - I beg to differ.

In my eyes, it will always be a priceless work of art.