There are Formula 1 cars, and then there are icons. Chassis 98T-3 is very firmly the latter. This is the actual Lotus in which a young Ayrton Senna won the 1986 Spanish Grand Prix by just 0.014 seconds over Nigel Mansell, making it the third closest finish in F1 history. Senna then drove brilliantly in Detroit to recover from a puncture-induced eighth place to stand on the top step of the podium.
Two victories from eight starts with this specific car, along with five pole positions and a further three podium finishes, made it the most successful chassis of Senna’s entire two-year stint at Lotus. Now, it’s on sale with RM Sotheby’s, giving one lucky collector the chance to acquire one of the most special Lotus F1 cars in the world.
The car itself is a technical time capsule from what was genuinely the most lawless era the sport has ever seen. The Lotus 98T used a one-piece carbon fibre and aluminium monocoque chassis and was powered by a Renault 1.5-litre turbocharged V6 that produced around 900 horsepower in race configuration. In qualifying, with the boost cranked up and a special water-injected variant of the engine fitted, the number climbed past 1,000hp, sometimes considerably more.
Engineers estimated the gap between race and qualifying power at around 300hp, well beyond what any dyno at the time could even measure. The turbos glowed so hot after a single flying lap that mechanics needed asbestos gloves just to unbolt them.
It is also the last Formula 1 car to wear the legendary black and gold John Player Special livery. That alone would make it collectible. RM Sotheby’s is estimating the car’s value at between $9.5 million and $12 million, which feels almost reasonable given where the market has gone.
Schumacher’s Monaco-winning Ferrari F2001 fetched over $13 million at auction in 2025. Lewis Hamilton’s 2013 Mercedes W04 was auctioned for nearly $19 million in 2023. Senna’s Monaco-winning 1993 McLaren MP4/8A sold for around $5 million back in 2018, a price widely considered a steal even then. Considering the history of this car and the legend of the man who piloted it to victory, this is better than all of them.
