Yahoo Autos The Most Expensive F1 Cars Ever Sold at Auction
You won’t get much change from $15m for that.
Formula 1 is a bonkers sport filled with mind-bending numbers when it comes to speed and spending. But even after an F1 car has finished its life on the track, these formidable machines can still set records — this time in the auction house.
This week, German racer Michael Schumacher’s 2003 championship-winning Ferrari went under the hammer at a sale hosted by auctioneer Sotheby’s. The car is regarded as one of the most successful Ferrari F1 cars ever built, as it was one of just four Schumacher-era Ferrari Formula 1 chassis with five wins or more in a World Championship-winning season.
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It’s an impressive machine and was sold race-ready with the glorious 930 hp Ferrari V10 engine fully overhauled at Ferrari’s Maranello factory. Understandably, then, it fetched a hefty price when it went on sale.
But it isn’t the most expensive Formula 1 car to have been sold at auction. And that got us thinking: what is? So we did some digging and unearthed the top-selling Formula 1 cars in history.
That means it’s time to sit back, relax and take a walk past some of the most expensive F1 cars to have ever been sold at auction.
1991 Jordan 191
Price: $1,436,756
Driven by: Michael Schumacher, Alex Zanardi and Andrea De Cesaris
Let’s start our rundown with the glorious Jordan 191, which raced in the 1991 Formula 1 season. Driven by Michael Schumacher in his first race at the Belgian Grand Prix, this car was one of just two Jordan 191s to be piloted by Schumacher that year.
1982 Ferrari 126 C2
Price: $2,143,750
Driven by: Patrick Tambay and Mario Andretti
If you prefer your F1 cars with a turbo-charged V6 at the heart, you might be interested in the 1982 Ferrari 126 C2, which sold in 2019 for a cool $2.1 million. One of just seven C2 cars produced, this one is the last surviving example, and was driven to victory in the 1982 German Grand Prix by Patrick Tambay.
1992 Williams-Renault FW14B
Price: $3,106,301
Driven by: Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese
The Williams FW14B from 1992 won more than 60 percent of the races it entered. With Nigel Mansell at the wheel, this car scored five consecutive victories at the start of the 1992 season and went on to claim both the driver’s and constructor’s championships for Williams.
2004 Ferrari F2004
Price: $3,198,500
Driven by: Michael Schumacher
Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher picked up his seventh and final world title behind the wheel of the F2004. At the time, its sale price of $3.2m set a new auction record for modern F1 cars, but it wouldn’t last long.
1993 McLaren MP4/8A
Price: $4,194,561
Driven by: Ayrton Senna
Not only was this car driven by one of the sport’s most iconic drivers, it also triumphed at one of its most famous races. The McLaren MP4/8A that topped $4 million in 2018 was driven by none other than Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna when he took his record-breaking sixth and final Monaco Grand Prix win.
2010 McLaren MP4-25A
Price: $5,421,596
Driven by: Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button
The newest car on our list is this 2010 McLaren, which is the very same car that Lewis Hamilton drove to victory in the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix. That same year, this car also saw Hamilton race wheel to wheel against Michael Schumacher, and helped Jenson Button onto to podium for McLaren.
1998 Ferrari F300
Price: $6,220,000
Driven by: Michael Schumacher
If you want race-winning pedigree, then this 1998 Ferrari driven by Michael Schumacher is the car for you. In the 1998 F1 season it ran in four races and won each of them: the Canadian, French, British and Italian Grands Prix.
2002 Ferrari F2002
Price: $6,643,750
Driven by: Michael Schumacher
One of the most successful F1 cars of all time, the F2002 from Ferrari won more than 78 percent of the races it entered. In the hands of Michael Schumacher, this chassis took victory in San Marino, Austria and France.
2001 Ferrari F2001
Price: $7,504,000
Driven by: Michael Schumacher:
German driver Michael Schumacher clinched his fourth world title in the F2001, and this car helped him do that with two race wins – including Monaco.
2003 Ferrari F2003-GA
Price: $14,864,194
Driven by: Michael Schumacher
The latest addition to our list hit the auction block yesterday and nearly doubled its $7.5 million estimate. The car was, of course, driven by Schumacher, and it’s the very same one that helped him clinch his sixth world title. Over the 2003 season, it also chalked up more than five race wins, and helped the team onto its 13th constructors title.
1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R
Price: $29,600,000
Driven by: Juan Manuel Fangio and Hans Hermann
But the price of every other F1 car on this list pales in comparison to this 1954 Mercedes, which was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio to his second drivers title. The car won in Germany and Switzerland with Fangio at the wheel, and came home in fourth in the hands of Hans Hermann.
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