1978 Fittipaldi F5A Cosworth

£ 575 000
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Overview

  • Most successful model produced by Fittipaldi Automotive
  • Powered by Cosworth’s iconic DFV V8 Engine
  • Contested three Formula 1 World Championship grand prix, all driven by two-time Formula One World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi
  • Best result of 9th at the 1978 Monaco Grand Prix and 2nd at the 1978 Silverstone International Trophy
  • A front-runner in the Aurora AFX British F1 Championship with RAM Racing
  • A multiple race winner in Masters Historic F1
  • 2017 FIA Masters Historic Formula 1 Championship title winner
  • A four-time entrant in the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, with a pole position in 2022 and 2nd place finish in 2024 in Série F
  • Offered in immaculate, race-ready condition, with valid FIA HTP, fuel cell and crack-test certification
  • Impressive history file packed with period documentation
  • Accompanied by a vast spares package
  • Eligible for the Masters Racing Legends (inc. F1 grand prix support races), Monaco Historic Grand Prix (Série F), Gulf Historic, US-based HSR racing and more


Background

Brazilian brothers Emerson and Wilson Fittipaldi were involved in motorsport from the mid-1960s. Initially, they produced and raced go-karts in their home country but were then propelled to stardom when Emerson won the 1972 and 1974 Formula 1 World Championship. He became the first Brazilian to do so and paved the way for compatriots like Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna.


Wilson also raced in Formula 1, initially in a customer Brabham, but during the 1975 season with a grand prix car of his own creation. The most successful of all Fittipaldi grand prix cars was the F5A of 1978, which was raced exclusively in the World Championship by Emerson and ended the year 7th in the Constructor's Championship.


Buoyed by the success of Emerson as a driver, Wilson secured sufficient funds to establish Brazil's first Formula 1 team. His main backer was Copersucar, a cooperative of sugar producers and today the world's largest sugar and ethanol producer. The team was established in São Paolo and relied on the services of Ricardo Divila. He had already designed Formula Vee cars for the Fittipaldis in the late 1960s. Among his other creations for the Fittipaldis was a twin-engined Volkswagen Beetle that weighed a mere 407 kg for a combined output of 410 bhp. Work on the first Fittipaldi Grand Prix cars started in October of 1973 and it was unveiled in the country's capital Brasilia a year later.


Ready in time for the 1975 World Championship season opener in Argentina, the new car was officially dubbed the Copersucar FD01. This was a reference to both Fittipaldi and Divila. It was a conventional design built around an aluminium monocoque chassis and powered by the readily available Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 engine. It was raced during the 1975 season by Wilson himself but with limited success.


Nevertheless, he convinced his younger brother to join the team from 1976 onwards. Emerson scored three points finishes that year, but it was obvious that changes were needed to improve competitiveness.


The team was moved from Brazil to Banbury, England, which was in the heart of what is still Motorsport Valley. While Divila remained with Fittipaldi Automotive, Dave Baldwin was hired to design what would become the Fittipaldi F5. The car debuted at the 1977 French Grand Prix but was hardly an improvement over the FD04 used in the first races of the year. Baldwin had already left the team again before the F5's debut, meaning the team was unable to cure the lack of straight-line speed and the car's erratic handling characteristics.


To cure the F5's ails, the Fittipaldis called in the help of Giacomo Caliri. This Italian engineer had previously worked for Ferrari alongside Mauro Forghieri before establishing his own design company FLY Studio. Caliri clearly drew inspiration from the Lotus 78 as he added front rocker-arm suspension, fitted full-length side-pods that housed the water radiators and moved the oil radiator to the nose. In its original iteration, the heavily revised F5A did not feature the wing-profile side-pod floors that had given the Type 78 its edge. These were added from the fourth race onwards.


A single F5A was entered in the 1978 Formula 1 World Championship for Emerson Fittipaldi. The car was a clear improvement. For the second race, the all-important Brazilian Grand Prix, Fittipaldi qualified a commendable seventh. In an eventful and very hot race, Fittipaldi showed why he was a two-time World Champion and worked his way up the order to finish second. It was the very first podium for the Brazilian team. He scored points in six more races, which meant the Fittipaldi team was seventh in the Constructor's Championship despite fielding only a single car.


For the 1979 season, Ralph Bellamy designed a new car for the team, but it was no immediate improvement. As a result, Emerson Fittipaldi continued to race the F5A for much of the year, with a sixth-place finish in the Argentinean Grand Prix as the best result. The Fittipaldi team retired the F5A after the British Grand Prix, but at least two cars found a second lease of life in the Aurora AFX British F1 Championship with the RAM Racing and Colin Bennett Racing teams. Raced by the likes of Bernard de Dryver, Guy Edwards and Val Musetti, these were quite successful.


After the contemporary racing career had ended in the fall of 1981, two of the surviving F5As were regularly used for historic racing while the very first chassis has been on display in a German museum for many years.


With its podium finish and seventh place in the Formula 1 World Championship, the F5A remains the most successful Grand Prix car built by Fittipaldi Automotive.


This Car


Chassis F5A/2 was the second F5A built, initially serving as a spare car for Emerson Fittipaldi. The first outing for F5A/2 came in March 1978 at the International Trophy held at Silverstone. Qualifying in eighth place, the Brazilian sliced through the field, staying out of trouble, to finish a brilliant 2nd overall.


This car's first start in the official Formula One World Championship came later in the year at Monaco, where Emerson finished a commendable 9th. A further grand prix start in 1978 followed at the French Grand Prix where, after qualifying 15th, Emerson was forced to retire due to a rear suspension failure. F5A/2’s final grand prix start came in Brazil at the beginning of 1979. In front of his home crowd, Fittipaldi qualified 9th and finished 11th.


Having served the Copersucar Fittipaldi team for over a season, it was sold to the RAM Racing team shortly after the 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix, together with a sister car. It was then entered in the 1979 Aurora AFX British F1 Championship for Belgian driver Bernard de Dryver. He immediately finished fifth in his home race at Zolder. Later in the year, de Dryver would finish on the podium three times, but a victory ultimately eluded him. He would end the season fourth in the standings with 41 points. Guy Edwards also had a single outing with F5A/2 in 1979 but was forced to retire after suffering an accident.


For the 1980 season, Colin Bennett Racing fielded F5A/2 for Italian-born British racer and stunt driver Val Musetti. This chassis was raced in select events while F5A/3 was further updated by the Colin Bennett run team to what would be referred to as F5B configuration. Musetti campaigned the unmodified F5A/2 in four events, never finishing out of the top 6 and winning a non-championship race at Donington. After three seasons of racing, chassis F5A/2 was retired from contemporary racing at the end of 1980.


Chassis F5A/2 then passed to Graham Williams, who set about restoring the car to its original works specification. Upon completion, Williams would compete in historic events at both Brands Hatch and Donington Park in 1984, scoring 4th and 5th place finishes. After these events, F5A/2 would spend time on display in the Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford. While on display, the car was credited with achieving 2nd in the 1978 Brazilian Grand Prix. However, this result is conflicted by other sources and further research is ongoing.


F5A/2 then changed hands in 1991 before being acquired by Ben Liebert in 1997. Liebert campaigned the car regularly in 1999 and 2000 in the Thoroughbred Grand Prix Championship, with a best finish of 8th overall and 3rd in class at the Autodrom Most in 2000.


In recent years, F5A/2 has become a regular participant historic Formula 1 events, including five participations at the Monaco Historique in Serie F. Proving adept around the tight streets of the principality, our own Sam Hancock qualified 2nd in 2016 and came through from last to 7th after clutch failure on the starting grid. The car's best result at Monaco came in 2024 in the hands of Miles Griffiths who finished 2nd, victory painfully eluding the British driver as it did in 2022 having qualified the car on pole position.


F5A/2 has also become a proven front-runner and outright title winner in the Masters Racing Legends championship for historic Formula 1 cars. In the hands of its then-owner, it won the class FIA-sanctioned series in 2017 with two wins and four second-place finishes from seven appearances.

Prior to that, brothers Sam and Ollie Hancock campaigned the car between 2014 and 2015, adding to the trophy cabinet with victory in Singapore and three further wins at Silverstone.


One of three Fittipaldi F5As built by Fittipaldi Automotive and raced exclusively by Emerson Fittipaldi in the Formula 1 World Championship, F5A/2 car is a proven race winner, an FIA Masters Historic Formula 1 Champion and front-runner in the Monaco Historic Grand Prix in Serié F for which it remains eminently eligible. It is offered in immaculate race-ready condition and accompanied by a fabulous spares package.


Certification & Mileage


Historic Technical Passport:

• Issuer: FIA

• Expiry Date: 31st December 2025

• Document number: GB10211

Crack Testing:

• Last Date Completed: 12th February 2024

Engine Life:

• Last rebuild: Winter 2023/24

• Current Engine Mileage: 157 miles (Shakedown/set up and Monaco race weekend)

• Recommended Engine Rebuild Interval: 1,200 miles

• Remaining Mileage Available: 1,043 miles

Fuel Cell Certification:

• Expiry Date: December 2025

Seatbelt Certification:

• Expiry Date: 2024

Fire Extinguisher Certification:

• Last Service: April 2024


Technical Specification


Category: Formula One

Chassis: Aluminium monocoque

Engine: 2992cc, 32 valves, Ford Cosworth DFV V8, naturally-aspirated

Gearbox: Hewland FGA-405 5-speed manual

Front suspension: Top rockers, lower wishbones, coil springs, adjustable telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar

Rear suspension: Parallel lower links, top links, radius arms, coil springs, adjustable telescopic dampers, adjustable anti-roll bar

Brakes: AP Lockheed ventilated steel discs (inboard at the rear)

Weight: TBC

Tyres: Avon racing slicks/wets


Eligibility


Masters Racing Legends

For Formula One cars constructed between 1966 and 1985, Masters Racing Legends offers a full calendar of exciting events at iconic circuits including Silverstone, Zandvoort and the Nürburgring. In addition, the series also offers support races at some Formula One weekends, such as the US and Mexican Grand Prix’s and has recently announced a tour of the Middle East with races at Dubai and Abu Dhabi (Gulf Historic).


Monaco Historique – Série F

This biennial event is the jewel in the crown of historic Formula One. Held over three days in early May, this event caters to all eras of the principality's grand prix history, with the Fittipaldi F5A eligible for Série F - a grid for Formula One cars constructed between 1977–1980. The next running of the Monaco Historique takes place in May 2026.


US-based HSR historic racing, including the Monterey Motorsports Reunion

This annual event occurs during the iconic Monterey car week at the world-renowned Laguna Seca circuit, just a few miles from the concours lawn at Pebble Beach. Holding races for a wide range of competition cars, the Fittipaldi F5A would be eligible for the Mario Andretti Trophy, which is for Formula One cars constructed between 1966 and 1985. The next running of the Monterey Motorsports Reunion takes place in August 2025.


Spare Parts


This list is provisional and will be confirmed prior to purchase.

Bodywork:

  • Complete front wing and nose assembly x 2 (1 with frame and mounts)
  • Complete rear wing assembly x 1 (with frame and mounts)
  • Sidepods x 6 (4 LH & RH floating skirt, 2 LH & RH)
  • Airbox x 2 (1 high, 1 low)
  • Cockpit canopy x 2
  • Rear wing gurneys x 4
  • Rear wing end plates x 2
  • Front winglets x 3

Wheels:

  • Front wheels x 6 (mounted with 10/20/13 Avon slicks)
  • Rear wheels x 6 (mounted with 15/26/13 Avon slicks)

Suspension & steering:

  • Front dampers x 2 (no springs mounted)
  • Wishbones x 2 (1 left, 1 right)
  • Rear dampers x 2 (springs mounted)
  • Rear left upright x 2 (1 fully assembled)
  • Rear right upright x 2 (1 fully assembled)
  • Front right upright x 2 (1 fully assembled, 1 with bearings)
  • Front left upright x 1 (with bearings)
  • Steering rack x 1 (complete with clevis’s)
  • Steering arms x 2
  • Rockers x 2 (fully assembled, 1 left, 1 right)
  • Roll bar front x 2
  • Radius rear top x 3
  • Radius rear lower x 2
  • Roll bar rear x 1
  • Rear suspension frame x 2 (1 left, 1 right)

Engine & Drivetrain:

  • Radiator x 2 (x 1 left-hand side, x 1 right-hand side)
  • Clutch x 1
  • Layshaft x 1 (FT-12.35-5)
  • Filter x 1 (P65/1X)
  • Starter shaft x 1
  • Gear linkage UJ x 1 (10QWALL22)
  • Throttle cable x 2
  • Driveshafts (CV joints) x 2 (1 left-hand side, 1 right-hand side)

Brakes:

  • Brake disks with bells x 4 (2 rear, 2 front)
  • Front brake disks x 2 (1 left, 1 right)
  • Rear brake pads sets x 3
  • Front brake pads sets x 4


Sam Says

“It's such a pleasure to offer this car again, having previously owned and raced it with my father and brother. We all have such fond memories, from my brother's exciting wins in Singapore and Silverstone, my own front row start in Monaco and a Silverstone podium in the sloshing rain. Versatile, friendly and consistently competitive is how I'd describe it and, crucially, it is one of the few truly comfortable cars for taller drivers like myself. If you're seeking a car that can genuinely 'do it all', for a sensible price, look no further - F5A/2 is your car."