[Back] Subject:  
Nigel Mansell's
Ferrari F189
Kit Used: Tamiya 1/20th Scale

Review & model by:
Bob Blevins
Pictures: R. Forys





[Bob built this Tamiya 1/20th scale kit right out of the box.]



To comply with the drastic regulation changes that took effect starting in the 1989 F-1 racing season, the Ferrari team brought out their revolutionary F189 type 640 machine.   Designed by John Barnard, the body styling was the result of extensive wind tunnel testing, and was said to provide better internal airflow.   Because of the rule changes, the turbo engine was replaced by a normally aspirated 3.5 liter V12 engine.   It also featured for the first time, a semi-automatic seven-speed electronic gearbox, which allowed the drivers to select gears with paddles on the steering wheel.   Despite an initial win driven by Mansell, the car suffered gearbox and various other reliability problems, and had only one more win by the end of the 1990 season.




[The Ferrari F189 type 640 driven by Mansell in 89-90.]



[Nigel Mansell]
Nigel Mansell is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship in 1992, and the CART World Series in 1993.   He is the only person in history to hold both titles simultaneously, and was the first person to win the CART title in his debut season.   Born Nigel Ernest James Mansell in Upton - on- Severn in Worcestershire England on August 8th 1953, his childhood was fairly nomadic with many home and school moves due to his father's employment.   Academically Nigel was fairly average, however his competitive and determined spirit became evident at an early age.




[The first time Mansell drove this car, he won the race in Brazil.]



Nigel became a fully-fledged F1 driver in 1981 with the Lotus team, and received his first podium after just 5 races.   Four years later in 1985, he won his first race.   In 1989, Nigel moved to Ferrari, and drove the subject car of our article, the scarlet red number 27 FERRARI.   He was the last driver to be personally picked by Enso Ferrari before his death, and came to be nicknamed "IL Leone" (The Lion), for his aggressiveness on the racetrack, winning on his first time out for the Italian team in Brazil.   Nigel returned to the Williams team in 1991, and then won the Formula 1 World Champion in 1992.




[Mansell remains the most successful British Formula One driver of all-time.]



His career in Formula One spanned 15 seasons, with his final two full seasons of top-level racing being spent in the CART series, where he won the championship in his first year.   Mansell remains the most successful British Formula One driver of all-time in terms of race wins with 31 victories, and is fourth overall on the list of Formula One race winners behind Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna.   Murray Walker, a Formula One commentator for 50 years, rated him in the top 10 Formula One drivers of all time.   In 2008, American sports television network ESPN also ranked him 24th on their top drivers of all-time.




[The kit decals needed a clear coat before being applied, but worked OK after that.] [Bob used a stencil for the tire lettering.]




Currently, Mansell owns a Golf and Country Club called Woodbury Manor near Exeter (Devon, UK), which also houses a museum and collection of his achievements throughout his racing career.   Mansell, with his son Leo, also tested a Chamberlain-Synergy team Le Mans prototype Lola-AER B06/10 during July 2008 at the Estoril circuit in Portugal, and the pair are said to be considering a drive in the American Le Mans series, possibly starting as soon as October 2008.




[Bob said this kit went together very easily.] [Bob's only addition to the kit was the Studio 27 seat belts.]




Bob built this Tamiya kit right out of the box, with the only addition of Studio 27 seat belts.   These Tamiya 1/20th scale kits are known to go together very easily, and Bob says this kit is no exception, giving the kit excellent marks in all categories.   Bob said his only regret was not priming the body before spraying it red, as this led to the red turning out a little too dark.   The kit decals needed a clear coat before being applied, but worked OK after that, however for the tire lettering he used a stencil, which looks like it worked quite well.




[Bob's only regret was not priming the body before painting, as he thinks this made the red a little too dark.]




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