Attention all Lewis Hamilton fans! The seven-time F1 world champion’s first race-winning Mercedes F1 car is soon going to cross the auction block. This is the first time a Hamilton-driven Mercedes F1 car is being offered for sale to the general public. The race car up for grabs is a Mercedes F1 W04 driven by Lewis Hamilton in the 2013 season. More specifically, it’s chassis number four, which not only put the Brit on pole at the Hungarian Grand Prix but also earned him the first and only victory during the season that was completely dominated by Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel. In 2013, Hamilton surprised everyone by leaving McLaren to join the then under-performing Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team. However, we all know what happened from 2014 onwards. It marked the beginning of one of the most dominant runs in the history of F1.
What makes the Mercedes F1 W04 even more collectible is the fact that it’s from Formula One’s last season with V8-powered race cars. From 2014, the series mandated that teams switch to a turbo-charged V6. Hamilton’s car featured a glorious-sounding naturally aspirated 2.4-litre V8 capable of producing over 800hp. The highly collectible F1 car will be sold by RM Sotheby’s at the Official Auction during the Las Vegas Grand Prix next month and is expected to fetch anywhere between $10 million to $15 million.
Shelby Myers, Global Head of Private Sales at RM Sotheby’s said: “In the world of automotive greatness, few marques match the allure of the Mercedes Silver Arrows. The Mercedes W196, which sold for $29.6 million, remains the most valuable Formula 1 car ever sold.
However, it’s the Mercedes-Benz Uhlenhaut Coupé that fetched $142 million, cementing the Silver Arrows’ place in history books as one of the world’s most valuable and recognizable brands. Now, adding to the legacy of the Silver Arrows, we introduce the W04—a car whose significance cannot be overstated.”
