Modern McLaren F1 cars hitting the auction market are a rarity in this day and age, but Lewis Hamilton's 2010 Turkish GP winning MP4-25A will go under the hammer this summer at Silverstone.
RM Sotheby's will reportedly auction the precious machine at the British Grand Prix in July, with the MP4-25A – chassis #1 – also set to be driven in anger at Silverstone during a series of demo laps conducted over the race weekend.
"The availability of this particular example, Chassis no. 1 is an unrepeatable opportunity given the model’s scarcity," states RM Sotheby's. "While client confidentiality precludes disclosing exactly how many cars exist in private ownership, its believed to be only a scarce few.
"As such these examples remain highly coveted and largely in private hands, unlikely to be sold in the near future.
"Furthermore, the McLaren Mercedes represents a car that can still be track driven and supported by the original factory teams as part of individual Heritage departments."
©RMSothebys
Hamilton's McLaren MP4-25A is estimated to be worth between $5m and $7m, but well-heeled and passionate collectors could obviously drive the item's value way north of the auction house's first appraisal.
However, two years ago, Ayrton Senna's final Monaco-winning McLaren MP4/8A – arguably an even more valuable piece of F1 history - was sold by Bonhams for $5m, one of the highest prices ever paid for a modern F1 car.
The buyer? One Bernard Charles Ecclestone.
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