Ferrari 643 that got Prost fired is up for auction

The Ferrari 643 was ready midway through the 1991 season, at a point when the relationship between Prost and Ferrari was on the skids, the car eventually became the straw that broke the camel's back, ending the Frenchman's two seasons at Maranello, abruptly.

At the time, Prost committed the cardinal sin - if you race for Ferrari - of criticizing the car to the media, he said of it: "I've never driven such a bad car. Yesterday with a full tank of gas we noticed that the steering locks up completely in big curves, that's a very serious mechanical problem that worsened during the season.

"Competing in a Grand Prix in these conditions is very trying, I did not feel like an F1 driver, because a good truck driver with big arm could have done just as well," added Prost.

To which Ferrari reacted by ending his contract, with Scuderia team boss of the time, Claudio Lombardi explaining: "Ferrari took this decision to stop with Alain Prost both for the last Grand Prix and for next season. The relationship between a top driver and a top team involves the performance of the driver and then the behaviour of the driver.

"For the first point we are very happy with the performance of Alain Prost. I personally worked with Alain for the last four months and I think he is really a very good driver and a fantastic test driver. The second point is behaviour.

"The behaviour of Alain Prost during this season has not been at the level that Ferrari would like from a top driver. His behaviour inside and outside the team meant that Ferrari had to stop the relationship," concluded Lombardi.

The Ferrari 643, powered by a 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V-12 producing over 700 horsepower, on sale contested the Australian, British, and French Grands Prix in 1991, finishing 4th at Magny-Cours.

This version is presented in full running order, with overhauled brakes, suspension and transmission, and recommissioned engine making it eligible for historic racing events, including Formula Legends 3.5L and Ignition GP

Introduced halfway through the 1991 season, the beautiful Ferrari 643 was designed by Steve Nichols and Jean-Claude Migeot for the driver pairing of Alain Prost and his exciting young team-mate, Jean Alesi.

Its predecessor was the short-lived 642, and while the 643 carried over that car’s 3,499-cc V-12, the carbon fiber-composite monocoque was heavily revised. The engine produced 710 horsepower at a screaming 13,800 rpm and drove through a seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox—technology that Ferrari had pioneered two years earlier.

The 643 made its debut in the French Grand Prix in July 1991, and chassis number 127 was entrusted to Alesi. Born in France to Sicilian parents, Alesi had caused a sensation when he arrived in Formula 1 in 1989, and his giant-killing performances in the nimble Tyrrell soon brought him to the attention of the big teams.

Alesi had already agreed on terms with Frank Williams by the time Ferrari came calling, but when negotiations with Frank started to drag on, he duly signed with the Scuderia for 1991. The Tifosi came to adore his hard-charging style in the car and his emotional character out of it.

On his maiden outing with chassis 127, Alesi was third quickest in the opening qualifying session behind the Williams of Nigel Mansell and the McLaren of Ayrton Senna, but after the second session, he dropped to 6th place on the grid.

While team-mate Alain Prost fought Mansell for the lead before finishing 2nd, Alesi was locked in a tight battle with Senna for 3rd place and made a daring lunge down the inside at the hairpin on the final lap. Senna held firm, however, and Alesi had to settle for 4th.

He drove chassis 127 again in the next race: the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The two 643s lined up next to each other on the third row, Prost ahead of Alesi. The two of them were then involved in a fight for 3rd place with the McLaren of Gerhard Berger before Alesi collided with the Larrousse-Lola of Aguri Suzuki while trying to lap it. The incident put him out of the race.

Chassis 127 then served as the team’s spare car in Germany, Hungary and Belgium, before it was raced at the season-closing Australian Grand Prix by new recruit, Gianni Morbidelli. The young Italian was drafted in after Ferrari had fallen out with Prost and fired him after the previous race in Japan.

The race was held in dreadful conditions and was stopped while leader Senna was on his 17th lap. At that point, Morbidelli was in a superb 3rd position but the results were backdated to the end of lap 14, which meant that he was classified 6th and took the final points-paying position.

Following the 1991 season, chassis 127 was fully refurbished at the Maranello factory and sold to a South African collector. He kept it until 2010 and had it maintained by two of the Scuderia’s mechanics, who would travel to work on the car and periodically start its engine. It is said that the engine and gearbox have covered just 300 kilometres since being recommissioned.

Its next custodian was Peter Bailey, who was also based in South Africa. During his ownership the 643 was driven at Kyalami by Ian Scheckter, the elder brother of Jody—who won the 1979 World Championship with Ferrari—and a fine racer in his own right.

After being sold in 2016 to a German enthusiast, chassis 127 was treated to a full restoration. The transmission, suspension and brakes were all overhauled, the engine was painstakingly inspected and recommissioned, and the Ferrari reappeared at the 2018 Minardi Days event at Imola.

It subsequently took part in the 2020 Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, and is offered for sale with all of the technical equipment necessary to run it. The Ferrari is eligible for enjoyment in historic motor racing series such as Formula Legends 3.5L and Ignition GP.

The 643 was one of the best-looking Formula 1 cars of its era—and its V-12 engine made it one of the best-sounding, too. Raced by folk hero Jean Alesi in his first year with the Scuderia, chassis 127 represents a rare opportunity to acquire a charismatic piece of Ferrari competition history.