THE car Alain Prost drove to the first of his three wins in the Australian Grand Prix has been listed for sale via online auction.
While the latter two victories came in 1986 and 1988 after the Australian GP became part of the Formula 1 world championship, Prost’s maiden win in the event came in 1982 during the era when it was promoted by Bob Jane at Calder Raceway.
Between 1980 and 1984 Jane was able to attract top F1 drivers to add star power to the event – strategically scheduled after the close of the grand prix season – including Prost, Nelson Piquet Niki Lauda, Keke Rosberg and Jacques Laffite.
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The race was the domain of Formula Pacific/Atlantic cars and Prost’s steed for the event was Ralt RT4 chassis 263, a chassis which had been driven in the 1981 race by 1980 Formula 1 world champion Alan Jones.
Prost dominated the weekend from the very beginning, romping to pole by almost half a second and won from Laffite, who’d done the initial setup work in Prost’s car prior to his French compatriot’s arrival.
In a twist of fate, Laffite ended up racing chassis 263 to second place a year later in the 1983 Australian GP.
In the meantime, David Oxton drove the chassis to victory in the 1983 New Zealand Grand Prix at Pukekohe, making RT4/263 a rare car in having wins in both the Australian and New Zealand GPs in its resume.
The chassis is currently in Launceston, Tasmania complete with 1600cc Cosworth four-cylinder engine, with the auction set to begin at midday AEST on June 10.
Click HERE to see the listing on Pickles.com.au
