F1's greatest cars: Jordan 191

After numerous years in Formula 3000, Eddie Jordan's eponymous team stepped up into F1 with the Jordan 191.

It was originally christened as the the 911, but was later renamed to avoid any similarities with a Porsche sportscar of the same name. As part of the negotiations with the German manufacturer, the Jordan team boss was offered a Carrera 911. 

The Jordan 191 featured a unique green livery, with sponsorship from soft drinks brand 7 Up and Japanese camera company Fuji.

It was designed by Gary Anderson along with colleagues Mark Smith and Andrew Green. The trio came out with a car that was not only visually appealing, but was also aerodynamically sophisticated. 

The Irish outfit scored its first points at the fifth round in Canada, where Andrea de Cesaris and Bertrand Gachot finished fourth and fifth respectively.

The squad continued to score points in the next four races until a rare blip in form in Hungary.

Thereafter, Gachot was sentenced for two months for an incident with a taxi driver, leaving one of the two Jordan seats vacant for the Spa-Francorchamps round.

It was at this race Schumacher made his Grand Prix debut, thanks to a generous donation by his backers Mercedes. The German, who would go on to become the most successful F1 driver, qualified a stellar seventh but retired on lap 1 with a clutch failure.

For the next few races, the seat was occupied by Alex Zanardi and Roberto Moreno, but neither could finish inside the points at a time when only the top six positions holders were awarded.

Gachot, on the other side of the garage, too, they couldn't score another point in the second half of the season. However, the team managed to finish an impressive fifth in the championship in their first year with 13 points in hand.

Britain's reputed magazine Autosport - now a sister title to Motorsport.com - adjudged the Jordan 191 as the best car of the year.  And, its striking green livery remains one of the best till date.

Jordan 191 Gallery:

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