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."
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.
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Charles Leclerc admits that adding Adrian Newey to Ferrari’s already “incredible” team would be “amazing”,…
Carlos Sainz admits that the Volkswagen group’s success in motorsport – be it with VW,…
Daniel Ricciardo was expecting a ‘clear the air’ talk with Lance Stroll after the latter’s…
Max Verstappen says he respects Adrian Newey’s decision to part ways with Red Bull but…
We’re on the eve of another adrenaline-pumping weekend of action in Florida, with Formula 1's…
Sergio Perez believes Red Bull Racing will be in a great place despite the departure…