The car care experts at Griot’s Garage are no strangers to the restoration business, and the company helped to restore Niki Lauda’s 1975 Ferrari 312T-022 Formula One car. With Ron Howard’s “Rush” just hitting theaters, Griot’s Garage is displaying the car, which is a real relic from the very time period the movie depicts, at the 2013 Seattle Auto Show October 16-20.
To complete the “Rush” tie-in, Lauda’s Ferrai will share space in the Griot’s Garage booth with the 1977 McLaren M23-12 formerly piloted by Jochen Mass. Fans will have a chance to see the cars that inspired events in the movie up close.
The Ferrari 312T restored by Griot’s Garage is the actual vehicle that Lauda drove in the 1975 World Championship that plays a part in “Rush.” (Spoiler: He won.) The 312T features a transverse-mounted gearbox mounted ahead of the rear axle, which vastly improved handling. Ferrari 312Ts won a total of four Constructors’ Championships and three Drivers’ Championships during their career in F1.
The 1977 McLaren M23 on display is the same model that is driven by James Hunt in “Rush.” The durable M23 chassis remained competitive for five years, which is an eternity in the high-stakes world of F1. The Griot’s Garage car, while essentially the same as Hunt’s, was driven by Jochen Mass in 1977.
