The Crittenden Automotive Library

Spotted - 2003 BAR Honda F1 car (BAR 005)

Topics: Jenson Button, BAR005

Spotted - 2003 BAR Honda F1 car (BAR 005)

Matt Hubbard
Speedmonkey
November 14, 2012

In 2003 Jenson Button replaced Olivier Panis at BAR Honda. From 1999 to 2001 British American Racing had been an independent Formula 1 team led by Craig Pollock, with Jacques Villeneuve as the star driver. After three years of abject failure Pollock was sacked by the board of British American Tobacco and replaced with Dave Richards of Prodrive. Richards then did a deal with Honda whereby BAR would become the sole beneficiary of free Honda engines for 2003.

Thus the BAR005 of 2003 was borne. The team was officially called BAR Honda and the engine used was a Honda RA003 3 litre V10. The drivers were Jenson Button and Villeneuve, although he was sacked just before the last race of the season and replaced with Takuma Sato who joined the team at Honda's insistence.

An example of the BAR005 has just come up for sale on eBay. It is an ex Jenson Button race car that was used as a show car after the team had finished with it and comes with everything except engine, gearbox and pedals. Button scored a fourth place in Canada in 2003 and then another fourth in the last race of the year in Japan.

As with the Maserati Khamsin we previously featured the advert is pretty short and entirely written in capitals. The car is being sold by a Mazda dealer in Wolverhampton and was bought by them directly from Honda.

The price is £25,000 and suggested uses include the ultimate Playstation seat or as an ornament.

Advert reproduced in full below (including original spelling mistakes)

THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED DIRECT FROM HONDA AND WAS THIER 2003 JENSON BUTTONS SHOW DISPLAY CAR

IT IS WITHOUT ENGINE AND GEARBOX AND CONTROL PEDALS. IT IS COMPLETE WITH ALL CARBON FIBRE BODYWORK INTACT

THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN RACK AND TRACK RODS ARE ALSO IN PLACE AND WORKING

OPPORTUNITIES TO PURCHASE RECENT F1 SHOW CARS ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN

THE SCOPE OF USE FOR THIS CAR IS ENDLESS AND CAN COVER EVERYTHING FROM COMMERCIAL DISPLAY TO PERSONAL

ORNAMENT AND THE ULTIMATE SEAT FOR PLAYSTATION RACING GAMES.

SURELY THE PERFECT PRESENT FOR ALL JENSON BUTTON FANS.

THE CAR CAN BE VIEWED IN WOLVERHAMPTON AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON MAZDA, SSANGYONG, SUBARU GARAGE! TEL NO 01902 351 153