MICHAEL SCHUMACHER’S old company car has flopped at auction.
The F1 legend’s Mercedes C63 AMG Estate fetched only £23,300 when £81k ($110k) was expected.
But a customised Tesla Roadster he drove to Nations Cup glory with Sebastian Vettel in the same year, 2010, roared up to £116,700.
Schumacher, 53, has largely been cared for at home since suffering a life-changing brain injury in a 2013 ski crash.
Few details of his condition have emerged since, although it’s understood the German has had stem cell treatment in an attempt to regenerate his nervous system.
But Schumacher‘s place as one of Motorsport’s all-time greats is assured.
So his former Estate car was a prize exhibit at Bonhams’ Les Grandes Marques du Monde [‘The World’s Leading Brands’] auction in Paris.
Instead, though, it only made the typical price for a model of that age and mileage owned by you or I.
Schuey was given the family ‘runaround’ vehicle in January 2010 as he prepared for am F1 comeback.
Daimler GP had just bought the Brawn GP team – renaming it ‘Mercedes GP’.
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That meant star man Schumacher needed a car away from the track to reflect the team’s new status.
The Merc Estate he was given went from 0-60 in under 4.6 seconds and was laced with £15,000 worth of extras.
Schuey kept it for six months and most of its mileage was done by its second owner, a Swiss man, from 2011-2015.
A Mercedes engineer then bought it, changes the wheels but barely clocking up 1,000 kilometres in three years.
And its last owner, from 2018 until January this year, only drove it in summer-time.
That took the mileage from a 457-horsepower, 6.2-litre V8 engine up to 94,450miles (152,000km).
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Now it’s up to the un-named auction winner to see if the small piece of history gets the same careful treatment.
In contrast, a Tesla Roadster sparked huge interest at the auction as it eventually sold for $158k.
Schumacher and Vettel raced in the electric speedster at the 2010 Race of Champions.
Current models of the car can reach 60mph in 1.9secs.
And this particular one was adapted for the event 12 years ago, with a roll bar and carbon racing seats added.
Its auction value was also given a kick up the boot by the fact several drivers signed part of the rear spoiler.
