Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Geneva, Switzerland | November 9, 2022
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Ferrari was on fire in this era of F1. This, the F2003-GA (the GA standing for Gianni Agnelli, the previous head of Fiat), gave Michael Schumacher his sixth and penultimate world championship. Rubens Barrichello was the team’s other driver this season, and he won two races in his F2003-GA. Schumacher won five. And they didn’t even use the car for the first four races of the season.
This particular chassis, #229, has a competition history that includes:
2003 Spanish Grand Prix – 1st (with Michael Schumacher)
2003 Austrian Grand Prix – 1st (with Schumacher)
2003 Monaco Grand Prix – 3rd (with Schumacher)
2003 Canadian Grand Prix – 1st (with Schumacher)
2003 European Grand Prix – 5th (with Schumacher)
2003 French Grand Prix – 3rd (with Schumacher)
2003 Italian Grand Prix – 1st (with Schumacher)
2003 U.S. Grand Prix – 1st (with Schumacher)
2003 Japanese Grand Prix – 8th (with Schumacher)
Apparently there are only four Schumacher-era Ferrari F1 cars that won five or more races, and this is one of them. It’s powered by a 3.0-liter V10 that made 845 horsepower in race trim. It’s fully serviced and ready to go. It has an estimate of $7,500,000-$9,500,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Aguttes | Sochaux, France | October 23, 2022
Photo – Aguttes
McLaren’s MP4/9 was used for the 1994 season, which was the only season that McLaren partnered with Peugeot as their engine supplier. This was Peugeot’s first season as an F1 engine supplier, and things did not start out well.
Their 3.5-liter A4 V10 was unreliable. Both McLarens failed to finish the first two races. For race number three at San Marino, they upgraded to their “A6” spec V10, which was also a 3.5-liter unit. It made about 740 horsepower, and this chassis, number seven, still has it in there. The competition history for this chassis is confusingly listed, but it was driven in races and as a reserve car during the 1994 season by Mika Hakkinen and Martin Brundle.
It was later stored at McLaren for 26 years and is being sold from Peugeot-Citroen’s collection. The pre-sale estimate is $1,165,000-$1,450,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | September 17, 2022
Photo – Bonhams
Another Bonhams sale in England and another car from the former Force India reserves. The VJM08 was the car used by the Sahara Force India F1 Team during the 2015 season, during which the team employed drivers Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg. They upgraded the car to VJM08B spec after the first eight races. That upgrade was just revised aerodynamics.
Mercedes engines were used in conjunction with the VJM08 chassis. Mercedes, naturally, also used that power source, as did Williams and Lotus. This car no longer has an engine. It is chassis #2, and its competition history includes:
2015 Australian Grand Prix – 10th (with Sergio Perez)
2015 Malaysian Grand Prix – 13th (with Perez)
2015 Chinese Grand Prix – 11th (with Perez)
2015 Bahrain Grand Prix – 8th (with Perez)
2015 Spanish Grand Prix – 13th (with Perez)
2015 Monaco Grand Prix – 7th (with Perez)
2015 Canadian Grand Prix – 11th (with Perez)
2015 Austrian Grand Prix – 9th (with Perez)
2015 British Grand Prix – 9th (with Perez)
2015 Hungarian Grand Prix – 13th, DNF (with Perez)
2015 Belgian Grand Prix – 5th (with Perez)
2015 Italian Grand Prix – 6th (with Perez)
2015 Singapore Grand Prix – 7th (with Perez)
2015 Japanese Grand Prix – 12th (with Perez)
2015 Russian Grand Prix – 3rd (with Perez)
2015 United States Grand Prix – 5th (with Perez)
2015 Mexican Grand Prix – 8th (with Perez)
2015 Brazilian Grand Prix – 12th (with Perez)
2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – 5th (with Perez)
It can now be yours, as a roller of course. The estimate is $60,000-$82,500. Click here for more info.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | St. Moritz, Switzerland | September 9, 2022
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
For 1988, Williams returned to naturally aspirated power for their FW12. The car transformed into the FW12C for 12 of 1989’s 16 races. During the ’89 season, Williams employed drivers Riccardo Patrese and Thierry Boutsen.
The engine was a 3.5-liter Renault V10 that made about 650 horsepower. This car, chassis #10, was initially used as a spare car before being used in competition. It’s race history includes:
1989 French Grand Prix – 3rd (with Riccardo Patrese)
1989 German Grand Prix – 4th (with Patrese)
1989 Hungarian Grand Prix – 16th, DNF (with Patrese, from pole)
1989 Belgian Grand Prix – 19th, DNF (with Patrese)
The car was later purchased directly from Williams. It has its engine still, though it is said to be incomplete. You can read more about it here.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 18-20, 2022
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Formula One didn’t technically come into existence, by that name anyway, until 1950. Prior to that there was just a European Championship, in which Ferrari debuted in 1948. So this car, then, is from the first decade of Ferrari’s open-wheel racing program.
In 1952 and 1953, Formula Two was actually the pinnacle of motorsport, as determined by its governing body, the FIA. So the best drivers all tooled around in F2 cars for a couple of years before Formula One again became the World Championship decider in 1954.
Ferrari’s Aurelio Lampredi-designed F2 car for 1952 and 1953 was the 500. When the Scuderia had to shift back to F1, they took 500 chassis and modified them into 625 F1 spec. And this, chassis 0540, is one of those cars. The engine in the 625 was a 2.5-liter inline-four equipped with dual Weber carburetors for an output of up to 227 horsepower.
This car started out as the fourth of five 500 F2 cars before being retrofitted and re-serialed by the factory as a 625 F1. It was campaigned at both levels by Ecurie Francorchamps, a Belgian F1 team. It was later owned by Donald Healey and Pierre Bardinon.
This real-deal Ferrari monoposto from the golden age of F1 racing now has an estimate of $3,000,000-$4,000,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 18-20, 2022
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
This was Ferrari’s 1998 F1 contender. It was very similar to 1997’s F310B, which itself was an evolution of 1996’s F310. The main differences between 1998 and 1997 were a narrower track and redesigned sidepods.
Ferrari supplied their own 3.0-liter V10, which made about 805 horsepower in this application. The season’s drivers were Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine, and the competition history for this particular chassis, 187, includes:
1998 Canadian Grand Prix – 1st (with Michael Schumacher)
1998 French Grand Prix – 1st (with Schumacher)
1998 British Grand Prix – 1st (with Schumacher)
1998 Italian Grand Prix – 1st (with Schumacher)
Not bad. Unfortunately, Mika Hakkinen’s McLaren was still too strong, and Schumacher ended up second in the World Championship. Ferrari also took second place in the constructors race. Ferrari sold this car late the following year to a private owner.
Race-winning cars from former world champions are hard to come by, especially with their engines intact. The price reflects it here: the estimate is $6,000,000-$8,000,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Artcurial | Le Mans, France | July 2, 2022
1983 Renault RE40
Photo – Artcurial
First up is Renault’s 1983 entrant, the RE40. It led them to second place in the constructor’s championship that season, with drivers Eddie Cheever and Alain Prost, the latter of whom drove this car. And won a race in it.
The powerplant is a turbocharged 1.5-liter Renault-Gordini V6 that made about 640 horsepower. The competition history for this chassis, #3, includes:
1983 San Marino Grand Prix – 2nd (with Alain Prost)
1983 Monaco Grand Prix – 3rd (with Prost)
1983 Belgian Grand Prix – 1st (with Prost)
1983 U.S. Grand Prix – 8th (with Prost)
1983 Italian Grand Prix – 19th, DNF (with Prost)
It was also used as a test car for both drivers during the season. It was restored in 1995 and is now being offered directly from Renault’s collection. The estimate is $850,000-$1,250,000. Click here for more info.
Update: Not sold/withdrawn
1986 Tyrrell-Renault 015
Photo – Artcurial
Tyrrell Racing was actually around for quite a while, debuting in 1971 and lasting through 1998. That puts this car sort of right in the middle of their existence. The 015 was designed by Maurice Philippe and featured power from Renault.
The Renault-Gordini engine is a turbocharged 1.5-liter V6, which this chassis, #3, retains. Its competition history is not described, but the teams driver’s were Martin Brundle and Philippe Streiff, the latter of whom kept this car at the end of the season. He traded it to Renault in 1994 for a 1984 Renault F1 car.
Renault is now selling it, with an estimate $160,000-$260,000. Click here for more info.
Update: Not sold/withdrawn.
1993 Williams-Renault FW15
Photo – Artcurial
Williams‘ FW15 was the team’s car for 1993. It was designed by a who’s who of F1: Patrick Head, Adrian Newey, Paddy Lowe, and Eghbal Hamidy. A Renault 3.5-liter V10 was stuffed out back, and the combination proved super successful: Williams won the constructor’s championship, with driver Alain Prost taking the driver’s championship. The team’s other driver was Damon Hill.
Unfortunately, this is not a race chassis and has never had an engine in it. It’s purely a display car and has been retained by “the constructor” since new. Renault is selling other cars, so it’s unclear if this is coming from Renault or Williams, but I’d assume Renault. The estimate is $42,000-$84,000. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $54,696.
1997 Benetton B197
Photo – Artcurial
Benetton’s 1997 car was the B197, designed under technical director Pat Symonds. It featured power from a 3.0-liter Renault V10 capable of up to 755 horsepower. Unfortunately, this is a pure display car as well, so it’s never even had an engine mounted in it. That said, the body is a real ex-F1 car body, complete with Mild Seven livery.
Benetton utilized Jean Alesi for the entire season along with Gerhard Berger, who was replaced by Alexander Wurz for three races mid-season due to health issues. Berger won a race upon his return, proof that someone else in your seat makes you step up your game. The estimate here is $42,000-$84,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | June 24, 2022
Photo – Bonhams
The current Aston Martin F1 team, who came into existence after sort of acquiring/taking over the Force India team, has been selling off leftover Force India cars. And why not? This, I think, is the third in the last few years.
The VJM02 was the team’s second car and was powered by a 2.4-liter Mercedes-Benz V8, which this car no longer has. It was used for the 2009 season, during which Force India employed drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil. The competition history for this chassis, #1R, consisted of testing events with Fisichella, Vitantonio Liuzzi, and Bertrand Baguette.
So it may be a roller, but it’s an otherwise complete modern F1 car from just before the KERS era (KERS was optional in 2009, and Force India did not use it). The estimate is $74,000-$110,000. Click here for more info.
Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | June 24, 2022
Photo – Bonhams
Force India was a Formula One team founded by Vijay Mallya and Michael Mol. They appeared on the grid for the 2008 season after having purchased the Spyker F1 team (which itself had formerly been Midland F1 and Jordan). The cars donned a pink paint scheme beginning in 2010 when sponsorship from water-treatment company BWT arrived.
This chassis, #4, was used in the second half of the season by Esteban Ocon, and it was originally powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter Mercedes-AMG V6 with a KERS system. This chassis was also tested by George Russell during the season. This car was used in eight races in 2010, including:
2010 Japanese Grand Prix – 6th (with Esteban Ocon)
2010 U.S. Grand Prix – 6th (with Ocon)
2010 Mexican Grand Prix – 5th (with Ocon)
It also scored points in the other five races in which it competed. It’s a roller now, so you just get the body and chassis. But it is being sold by Force India’s successor: the Aston Martin Formula One Team, who are apparently thinning the herd. The pre-sale estimate is $86,000-$125,000. Click here for more info.
Motor Racing Developments Ltd, aka Brabham, was an F1 team that competed between 1962 and 1992. That makes this car from their first season as a team. Jack Brabham drove for Cooper the few years before this, and his business partner Ron Tauranac designed this car for Brabham to drive in 1962.
Power is from a 1.5-liter Coventry-Climax V8 that made about 157 horsepower in 1962 spec. The competition history for this chassis (F1-1-62) includes:
1962 German Grand Prix (Nurburgring) – 19th, DNF (with Jack Brabham)
1962 U.S. Grand Prix (Watkins Glen) – 4th (with Brabham)
1962 Mexican Grand Prix – 2nd (with Brabham)
1962 South African Grand Prix – 4th (with Brabham)
1963 Monaco Grand Prix – Did not start (with Brabham)
1963 Belgian Grand Prix (Spa) – 15th, DNF (with Brabham)
1963 Austrian Grand Prix – 1st (with Brabham)
1963 Italian Grand Prix – 5th (with Brabham)
1964 British Grand Prix – 17th, DNF (with Ian Raby)
1964 Italian Grand Prix – DNQ (with Raby)
1965 British Grand Prix – 11th (with Raby)
Imagine the same F1 chassis competing in four different seasons today. This car had many other non-championship races and wins (that Austrian GP race was a non-points race). This car spent decades in the Donington Collection before the current owner bought it in the 2000s. This is a pretty remarkable piece of racing history and has a pre-sale estimate of $590,000-$850,000. Click here for more info.
