Ahead of the Formula 1 weekend in France, Sebastian Vettel had the opportunity to take a vintage Aston Martin Grand Prix car for a spin to commemorate the race car’s 100th anniversary.
Few automotive brands can celebrate a century in existence let alone competitive motorsport participation but Aston Martin is one of them and joins the likes of Alfa Romeo, Bugatti and Peugeot to name a few that are still in existence. With the French Grand Prix at the Circuit Paul Ricard, the British marque celebrated the momentous milestone with their first ever race car nicknamed “Green Pea.”
The Aston Martin Grand Prix Car, or TT1 as it was also known, debuted at the French Grand Prix on the 15th of July 1922, so it is only fitting that the commemorative display would happen in the same country that it competed in over a century ago. Back then, the sport was reserved for the rich and famous that could pay their way onto the racetrack with factory backing and while things may not have deviated too far from that, the Aston Martin Grand Prix car would not have been possible without motor racing driver and pioneer Count Louis Zborowski.
The English count invested a healthy sum of £10 000 into the development of the 16-valve, twin-overhead cam four-cylinder engine that powered the Green Pea although the motor failed him 19 laps into the race with his teammate suffering the same fate later on. Felice Nazzaro driving the Fiat 804 claimed the chequered flag, with a duo of Bugatti T30’s behind him driven by Pierre de Vizcaya and Pierre Marco respectively.
The results from the race have been etched into the history books, view them here.
None of the reliability issues plagued Vettel during his demonstration run at the Circuit Paul Ricard with the four-time World Champion genuinely pleased to see the century old race car in operational condition.
More on the Green Pea then? The Aston Martin Grand Prix car was powered by a 1,5-litre engine that produced 42 kW at 4,200 rpm which isn’t an astounding number but considering it could achieve 137 km/h in a time when ABS, seatbelts and other safety devices didn’t exist, it likely provided a thrill like nothing else.
In celebration of @astonmartin‘s first Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel got behind the wheel of the iconic ‘Green Pea’
Safe to say, we think he enjoyed himself! #FrenchGP #F1 @AstonMartinF1
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 21, 2022
It does weigh in 45 kg lighter than the AMR22 F1 car from this season, tipping the scales at 750 kg although with driver and mechanic (yes, mechanics would partake in the race with the driver) at the helm, it may have been a little bit more.
