Lewis Hamilton's legendary car, in which he secured his first-ever Formula One victory with Mercedes, is now up for sale.
The iconic moment took place in 2013 during the Hungarian Grand Prix, a year before the British racing driver claimed his first championship title with the Brackley-based constructor.
The Historic Car
The car in question, known as the W04, holds immense historical significance as it marks the start of the Hamilton-Mercedes dynasty, which has garnered a total of seven championship titles.
It is also worth noting that this is the first Lewis Hamilton-driven Mercedes F1 car to be offered for public sale.
Going Once, Going Twice…
This highly sought-after piece of racing memorabilia is being auctioned off by RM Sotheby's at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.
However, fans looking to bring home this piece of history will need to be deep-pocketed, as the estimated price of the car ranges between £8.2 million and £12.3 million.
Valuable Collectable
The significance of this car cannot be overstated, and RM Sotheby's Global Head of Private Sales, Shelby Myers, explains, "The Mercedes W196, which sold for $29.6m (£24.3m), remains the most valuable Formula One car ever sold."
She continues, "However, it's the Mercedes-Benz Uhlenhaut Coupe that fetched $142m (£117m), cementing the Silver Arrows' place in history books as one of the world's most valuable and recognisable brands."
With no other publicly available examples of this car, the pairing of Lewis Hamilton and the W04 is expected to become one of the most coveted collectables in the future.
Hamilton's Illustrious Career
Lewis Hamilton, now 38, has had an incredibly successful career, winning a total of 103 races, 82 of which were with Mercedes.
He signed a new £100 million-a-year contract with Mercedes for the next two years, despite not having secured a race victory since 2021.
Verstappen Closing in on Championship
This weekend, Hamilton will be competing in the Qatar Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen, currently leading the championship, has the opportunity to secure the drivers title following Red Bull's victory at the Japanese GP.
Images: The Sun
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