Undoubtedly, one of the greatest drivers ever, Michael Schumacher is a Ferrari legend. His time with the Scuderia Ferrari was one of the most successful periods in its history. Five of his unprecedented seven drivers titles were won for the Italian team. Schumacher was known not only for his driving talent but also for his hard work and inspirational visits to the factory, where he spoke with staff and was always a positive and encouraging presence.
On signing for Ferrari, he naturally received a car for his personal use: a F355 GTS. Today, that car is owned by Ziv Knoll, a motorsport commentator and owner of the website “The Human Side of Racing” from Antwerp, Belgium.
Ziv, firstly, how did you come to own this wonderful car:
“I was very lucky to be able to buy the car at an auction in Monaco in May 2004.”
It’s a stunning shade of blue. Is that a special paint?
“Yes, it’s called ‘Le Mans Blue’. At the time it was unique for this 355 only, a request of Michael, but later on, it was copied.”
I imagine that this is a very precious and special part of your collection, but do you take it out to drive?
“Sure, it’s a fantastic car to drive, and I sometimes take it out. Actually, I always tell myself to drive it more often, as it is such a joy to drive. The manual gearbox is fabulous, and the engine screams so nicely, a real symphony.”
There must be something magical about sitting in the driver’s seat and holding the steering wheel, knowing that Michael was the original driver. It’s not just a car, but a piece of history. Is there any way you can put that feeling into words?
“Sitting in Michael Schumacher’s car, his very first Ferrari, the one he loved the most (he told me), in his seat feels awesome. Michael is after all a legend, one of the best drivers in history, so it’s a privilege to own, to drive his car.”
Your website, The Human Side of Racing, focusses on the people behind motorsport stories and you cover the whole history of motorsport. I think it is impossible to truly compare drivers from different eras in terms of on track achievement as the sport changes so much. Each era has it great champions and those who capture the imagination of the public. As a personality, though, and as an influence on Formula One, where amongst the F1 Greats does Michael fit for you?
“Michael Schumacher is up there at the very top of Formula 1 history, his 91 victories, his 7 world titles speak volumes. Is he the best, hard to tell, but he is certainly the greatest of his generation.”
“When you think about the all times greats, you have Fangio, Clark, Stewart, Lauda, Senna, Prost, Schumacher and now Hamilton, these are in a league of their own.”
The F355 GTS is a beautiful Ferrari (not that there are any ugly ones) and we at the Scuderia Ferrari Club Riga believe that there’s something a little special about Ferraris. Apart from being Michael Schumacher’s car, what is it about the F355 that makes it special for you?
“The car is special because Michael tested it at Fiorano, improved it in many ways. Ferrari made sure to build the best F355 GTS ever built, just for him. It has many unique features, like an unbelievably powerful engine, a slightly larger wheelbase at the back, unique blue colour and … Michael’s signature on the back of the drivers’ seat.”
“Also, for me, the car is absolutely magical. It has changed my life. After buying it in 2004 I started racing all over Europe, and realised my dream of becoming an (amateur) race driver. Then I started writing about my passion in magazines and on the web and now am commentating races on TV.“
This photo shows Ziv winning “Best in Show” at Spa-Francorchamps for the 70 years of Ferrari event.
You can find Ziv’s website here: http://humansideofracing.com/ It is well worth exploring for the history of motorsport and the people who make it so fascinating.
All photographs courtesy of Ziv Knoll
By Clare Topic
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