FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said earlier this week that Formula 1 should consider switching back to V-10 power, seeing as how the series will soon run solely on synthetic fuels. We couldn’t agree with him more. The V-10 era of F1 brought some of the best-sounding cars on the planet, and a lot of excellent racing. Not fully convinced? Let the sound of this Ferrari sway you.
This F310B was raced by seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher to multiple victories throughout the 1997 season. Not content to see the car rot away in storage, the car’s current owner, 80-year-old Erich Zech, uses it to compete in the BOSS GP championship, a series where mostly wealthy drivers can exercise their priceless vintage open-wheelers.
The ALwinSV YouTube channel caught the car lapping at TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands, with Zech at the wheel. Any multi-million-dollar race car is a sight to behold, but this one is incredibly special, thanks in part to the noise. We’re given the gift of 16,000 rpm on the straights, and fire-tinted backfires galore. Even if you’re not into racing, you’ll love this noise.
It’s unlikely Formula 1 will bring back V-10 engines, even with Sulayem’s suggestions. While we’re sad to see ten-cylinder machines relegated to the past, we’re glad owners like Zech prefer to keep them running for us all to see, rather than stashed away.
