30.04.2024Two classics, two podium places: World champion Ferrari from 1977

Winning three Formula 1 World Championship titles is a remarkable milestone that only eleven drivers have achieved in the history of the premier class. In the case of Niki Lauda, there is another special aspect. The popular Austrian celebrated two of his three world championships after his near-fatal fiery accident at the Nürburgring.

After Lauda, as reigning champion, had an accident on the Nordschleife in August 1976, he became title holder for the second time with Ferrari just one season later. On the way to the World Cup crown, there were three victories and seven more podium finishes - one of which was in Monaco with second place. ck-modelcars from the manufacturer ModelCarGroup offers the Ferrari 312 T2B for podium success in the Principality in a scale of 1:18.

Also available is the car of Lauda's teammate Carlos Reutemann, with which the Argentinian achieved third place at the Grand Prix in Sweden. With one win and five further podium places, Reutemann, alongside Lauda, made a significant contribution to the Scuderia's victory in the constructors' world championship.

With 17 races, the 1977 Formula 1-season was the longest in history up to that point. The opening races in Argentina and Brazil took place in January. Carlos Reutemann started the season there strongly with a third place and a win. Meanwhile, teammate Lauda criticized the performance of the 312 T2B, which at the start of the season was still very similar to the 1976 car.

Before the third Grand Prix in South Africa, there was a lot of testing before the Ferrari rolled out in Kyalami with new aerodynamics and new suspension and promptly led Lauda to his first victory. Even though the 312 T2B had a number of weak points, consistent results and stability brought World Cup success.

This also included Niki Lauda's second place at the Monaco Grand Prix. The Austrian qualified sixth in the legendary city race, but passed his teammate Reutemann early on in third place. When pole sitter John Watson dropped out in front of him, Lauda went in pursuit of leader Jody Scheckter in the Wolf, who ultimately won by just under a second. Incidentally, this was the 100th victory for the then dominant Cosworth DFV engine, which the majority of the field relied on, while Lauda was equipped with the Ferrari-typical 12-cylinder.

The 1:18 scale model of the successful car from Monte Carlo from the manufacturer ModelCarGroup impresses with a true-to-original cockpit replica and the driver figure including the striking helmet design of Niki Lauda, who died in 2019.

The same applies to the replica of Carlos Reutemann's third-place car at the Swedish Grand Prix, which was part of Formula 1 from 1973 to 1978. The race took place at the Scandinavian Raceway in Anderstorp. The old-school track recently gained increased attention in Germany thanks to a place in the 2020 DTM calendar. However, due to the corona pandemic, the race did not take place and there was no repeat attempt in the following years.

Niki Lauda Ferrari 312 T2B #11 2nd Monaco GP Formula 1 World Champion 1977 1:18 MCG, RRP €64.95, Art-Nr.: MCG18624F

Carlos Reutemann Ferrari 312 T2B #12 3rd Sweden GP Formula 1 1977 1:18 MCG, RRP €64.95, item-no.: MCG18625F

Products

	Niki Lauda Ferrari 312 T2B #11 2nd Monaco GP Formula 1 World Champion 1977 1:18 MCG	£ 64.95
	Carlos Reutemann Ferrari 312 T2B #12 3rd Sweden GP formula 1 1977 1:18 MCG	£ 64.95