Pininfarina’s Ferrari Sigma Grand Prix car  Words by Joan Williamson

There is an interesting background to the development of this car, which never took part in a Grand Prix, but was developed as a result of concern in the late sixties for motor racing safety. My attention was drawn to it by an article in the Melbourne Age – one of Australia’s leading newspapers not owned by Rupert Murdoch.

The idea for the car was inspired by a book written in 1967 by Dr. Michael Henderson, called ‘Motor Racing in Safety: the human factors’ (copies are still available on Amazon if anyone is interested). Dr Henderson is a Brit who moved to Australia as a ten-pound Pom in 1968, and who is still a very active figure in CAMS (Confederation of Australian Motor Sport). He drove a Lotus 7 with some success in the UK before making the trip down under to establish the Traffic Accident Research Unit in New South Wales. There he continued with his motor sport activities, but it was his professional involvement in accident analysis and the promotion of safety features in motor vehicles – both on road and track – which led to writing his book and the development of the original six-point GQ/Williams safety harness which was to be used in both European and Australian motor sport at that time. His contribution to motor racing safety continued with his involvement in the Pinafarina/Ferrari Sigma Grand Prix – a race safety concept vehicle that demonstrated features now carried by all current Formula One cars.

The Sigma was built in 1969 by Carrozzeria Pinafarina in cooperation with Revue Automobile with Ferrari supplying a V12 FI engine. It was designed by Paolo Martin as a safety prototype which was never intended to compete in Formula One races, but simply showed what could be done in the way of safety features to protect the driver.

Mercedes and Fiat engineers were also involved and F1 driver-journalist Paul Frere was recruited to test the final product. The Sigma was a fine looking car which had impact zones around a strengthened driver cell; foam filled flexible fuel tanks, a built-in fire extinguisher, six-point safety harness, combined aero-wing and roll bar, and even a head and neck support system thirty years before F1 adopted the HANS device. A car well ahead of its time, but one which led the way for modern safety features which have now become standard.

Of course, neither Dr. Henderson nor the car were without their critics. Some drivers scoffed at the idea of safety – the idea being that if you were still alive, you were not pushing hard enough. Jackie Stewart, a leading driver of the time, was labelled a coward, despite his obvious talents, who was bent on wrecking the sport. His suggestion that cars should not explode in collisions was greeted with derision. Innes Ireland, one of the more colourful exponents of motor racing during this period, reputedly flapped his elbows and made chicken noises. But change had to happen – there had been far too many unnecessary casualties. In the 1968 season alone, Jim Clark, Mike Spence, Ludovico Scarfiotti and Jo Schlesser all perished. So eventually, all these safety features appeared on F1 cars which are now so safe that even Romain Grosjean would have difficulty killing himself in one.

And the original Sigma is on display at Ferrari’s official museum at Maranello. Good on yer, Doc Henderson .....