How many millions in the bank? Then you might consider adding a very special F1 item to your garage, but that will cost you.
Driving an F1 car is a distant reality for 99% of the planet's inhabitants, but even fewer consider owning it.
But as more and more people flock to auctions, more and more collectors have the chance to own some of the greatest cars ever made.
Many of the cars have been sold by Sotheby's, and a spokesperson for the auctioneer told PlanetF1.com that interest has increased significantly in recent years.
"Collector interest in modern Formula One cars has increased dramatically in recent years, which has translated into a significant increase in the price of the car now," said Peter Haynes, director of marketing and communications.
"Now there is more money on the market, so these very complex and expensive to maintain cars are being bought by collectors who have the resources to care for and maintain them.
"Manufacturers such as Ferrari, McLaren and Williams have dedicated departments within their operations to provide customers with the facilities and technical support they need to maintain their cars.
"There is no doubt that the Ferrari and McLaren F1 cars lead the way in terms of appeal, while the cars driven by Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna are favourites.
"The value also depends on how many races the car has won and whether that year was the year the team or driver won the title.
"It's a very sensitive market, so there's a big difference in value, but there's no question that cars from the '80s, '90s and post-2000s have an advantage."
With that in mind, here are the 10 most expensive F1 cars in auction history:
10.) 1991 Jordan 191 – Sold for £1.25m in 2021
The first car on our list does a lot for a guy who has dominated the top 10.
Michael Schumacher made his F1 debut in the 1991 season at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, replacing Bertrand Gachot, who was a prisoner in the Jordan team, when speaking of the talented young genius.
In his first qualifying session, he moved the car to P7, but his Sunday was cut short when he was forced to retire with a clutch problem on the first lap.
Much to Eddie Jordan's chagrin, it would turn out to be Schumacher's only appearance for the team as he lined up for Benetton in the following race.
The car was sold by Speedmaster Cars last year for £1.25m.
9.) 1982 Ferrari 126 C2 - Sold in 2019 for £1.54m
The first Ferrari on this list is the sole survivor of the original seven 126 C2s from the 1982 season.
The chassis was won once by Patrick Tambay at the 1982 German Grand Prix, but it was also driven by Mario Andretti, who took pole position and the podium.
But in general, it has not been a good year for the Scuderia. Fifth in the Constructors' Championship, 61 points behind champions McLaren, with just nine points to go to win the race at that point.
The car was once owned by renowned Ferrari collectors Jacques Setton and Michael Willms before being auctioned off by Sotheby's in 2019, precisely because of the rarity of the sex of the remaining models.
8.) 1992 Williams-Renault FW14B - Sold for £2.7m in 2019
One of the greatest cars of all time, designed by one of the greatest minds in Formula 1 history, Adrian Newey.
This particular chassis, NoFW14/08, was driven by Nigel Mansell in the first five races of the 1992 season, taking pole position and victory in each of them. He would later finish the campaign as world champion, the only title of the famous bearded man's career.
He will switch chassis with teammate Riccardo Patrese midway through the season, starting at the British Grand Prix.
The blue and yellow badge has become an iconic memento from F1 history,Sebastian Vettel recently organized a run ahead of the British GP., this time with carbon neutral fuel.
TheNoFW14/08 sold at the 2019 Bonhams Festival of Speed at Goodwood fetching £2.703m for a buyer described as a "renowned private collector".
7.) 1993 McLaren MP4/8A - Sold for £3.6m in 2018
The only car driven by Ayrton Senna to make it to the top 10 is one of the most iconic cars of the legendary Brazilian's career.
Sporting a distinctive red and white color scheme, McLaren often opted for a papaya variant, and with sponsorship from Marlboro cigarettes, Senna won five races that year, but just missed out on arch-rival Alain Prost.
It was also his last full season behind the wheel for the Brazilian, who was tragically killed in a crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
The chassis, numbered MP4/8-6, was driven by Senna during his record sixth victory in Monaco, a record that has yet to be broken.
Sold at Bonhams "Les Grandes Marques à Monaco" in 2018 for €4,197,500.
6.) 2010 McLaren MP4-25A - 2021 for £4.8 million
As the most modern of all the cars on this list, this version of the MP4-25A will not join its predecessors on the McLaren Technology Center boulevard, but will instead go up for auction in 2021.
Built for the 2010 season, this particular chassis (25A-01) was the first to roll off the assembly line. It will be co-driven by Hamilton and Jenson Button, meaning it shares the unique honor of being driven by two world champions.
Hamilton also drove it in a wheel-to-wheel battle with Schumacher at the Chinese Grand Prix, pitting the two most successful drivers in F1 history against each other.
McLaren's racing heritage and high-performance powertrain from Mercedes-AMG showed it ready to drive ahead of the sale, which raised FJ$4.8 million at Sotheby's in 2021.
5.) 2002 Ferrari F2002 - sold for £5 million in 2019
Like the 2022 RB18, the 2002 F2 is a phenomenal car when it comes to the metric that matters most: winning.
With 15 wins, 11 pole positions and 15 fastest laps in 19 races, this particular chassis was driven by Schumacher to victories at the San Marino, Austrian and French Grands Prix.
The German finished 2002 as world champion, tying Juan Michael Fangio for the most wins in history. It sold for $6,643,750 at Sotheby's auction in Abu Dhabi.
4.) 1998 Ferrari F300 - 2022 for £5.3m
Unlike many of the other cars on this list, the F300 wasn't a championship-winning machine, but it did lead Michael Schumacher to edge out only Mika Hakkinen in his second season with second-place Ferrari.
The 1998 race was another where Ferrari fell behind Hakkinen and McLaren, but the F300 was the foundation for Ferrari's next few years of success.
What is special about this particular chassis is that it has never lost a race, with Schumacher winning all four of the Grands Prix he has entered. Those four races are the Canadian, British, French and Italian Grands Prix.
It remains the only Ferrari Formula 1 chassis to have run at least three races, winning every one of them. It sold for $6,220,000 at Sotheby's auction in Monterey, California.
3.) 2001 Ferrari F2001 - Sold for £5.5 million in 2017
With the support of Rory Byrne, Ignazio Lunetta, Aldo Costa, Marco Fainello, Nikolas Tombazis, James Allison and Ross Brawn, the F2001 became one of the most successful cars in Ferrari's storied history.
Michael Schumacher led the team to nine race wins in the 2001 season and successfully defended his drivers' championship. That year he tied Alain Prost for four world titles and was surpassed only by Juan Manuel Fangio.
This particular chassis was used during Schumacher's victories in Hungary and Monaco.
Se vendió en Sotheby's Nueva York en 2017 por $7,504,000.
2.) 2003 Ferrari F2003 – Sold in 2022 for £10.7m
The most recent addition to the list is November 2022, when Michael Schumacher's Ferrari F2003 sold for £10.7m at auction in Switzerland.
Chassis 229 won seven races during Schumacher's championship-winning 2003 season and was one of only four Schumacher-era Ferrari Formula 1 chassis to achieve five or more victories in a world championship-winning season. .
It was auctioned by Sotheby's auction house in Geneva and fetched 13 million Swiss francs ($13.2 million) from a telephone bidder. It also surpassed Schumacher's previous best result in F2001.
The F2003 remains the most expensive modern F1 car ever built.
1.) 1954 Mercedes W196R - Sold in 2013 for £19.6m
A record is unlikely to be broken anytime soon. Driven by the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio, the W196R was the car in 1954 when he won his second of five F1 titles.
Chassis #6 won in Germany and Switzerland before taking P4 in Italy driven by Hans Hermann.
Not only was it a stunning machine, but it was also the beginning of a new era, with Mercedes entering Formula 1.60 for the first time, and following Fangio's 54 years of victories, Mercedes won its third drivers' world championship. , this time driven by Hamilton.
It was auctioned by Bonhams at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2013, where it fetched £19,601,500 to become the most expensive F1 car ever built. Not only that, but it's the fifth most expensive car ever sold.
FAQs
What is the most expensive F1 car in history? ›
60 years after Fangio's '54 win, Mercedes won their third Drivers' World Championship, this time piloted by Hamilton. It became the most expensive F1 car ever sold when it was auctioned by Bonhams in July 2013 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, fetching £19,601,500.
What's the most expensive car sold at auction? ›The McLaren Senna is listed at a price of £750,000 with the final car auctioned at a price of £1,916,793.
How much does the most expensive F1 car cost? ›What is the most expensive F1 car ever? The most expensive car ever sold at auction is a 1954 Mercedes- Benz W196R, driven by Juan Manuel Fangio, Karl Kling, and Hans Herrmann. It sold for £19.6 million in 2013, at a Bonhams auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
What was the fastest F1 car in history? ›It really was just in traffic – the W11 didn't struggle at Autodromo Monza in clean air. In fact, Hamilton's final qualifying lap that weekend, at an average speed of 164.266 mph, stands as the fastest single lap in Formula 1 history.
What car just sold for $20 million dollars? ›At the time of sale, the McLaren was nearly 30 years younger than any other car to have sold for over $20 million at auction. The 1995 McLaren F1 is one of only 106 produced in total and the 25th of the 68 road-going versions.
Who bought the 142 million dollar Mercedes? ›It sold to classic-car dealer Simon Kidston, who placed the winning bid on behalf of an anonymous buyer.
What car is worth 142 million? ›On May 5, a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe sold for $142 million during an auction at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. It was the highest price ever paid for a car at auction, soundly beating the eight-figure Ferrari sales that had long topped the blue-chip billing.
Is McLaren P1 faster than Senna? ›Looking at our comparison table you can see the advantages of both McLaren supermodels. Staring out the top speed, both models are over 200 mph with the McLaren Senna only being nine mph less than the McLaren P1™.
How rare is the McLaren Senna GTR? ›This McLaren Senna GTR is an ultra-rare load-legal conversion of an already strictly limited track-only supercar, having had just one private owner and presented in immaculate condition.
Is a McLaren Senna street-legal? ›
The Senna LM is a street-legal version of the track-only Senna GTR that was built to commemorate the F1 GTR's win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995. Four of McLaren's F1 racers finished in the top five that year, hence the subsequent vehicular tribute.
What is the cheapest F1 car? ›Kvyat's old racer is probably the cheapest modern F1 car you could possibly lay your hands on. Oh, it just doesn't have an engine.
How much is an F1 engine cost? ›Unsurprisingly, the engine is the most expensive component. A singular turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 engine is worth approximately $10.5m (€130.3m), with teams allowed to use three of them throughout the season. The chassis is also notably pricey, costing around $700,000 (€663,285) to manufacture.
How much does a F1 steering wheel cost? ›Calculating the car cost
For example, the steering wheel, which has been an entire computer for a long time, is priced at $50,000, a set of wings (front and rear) around $200,000 dollars, depending on their complexity.
The current top speeds recorded in NASCAR are around 321km/h, quite a bit slower than F1 and IndyCar. NASCAR also has a slower acceleration time, going from 0-96km/h in around 3.4 seconds.
What was the first F1 car to go 200 mph? ›...
Sunbeam 1000 hp.
| 1000HP Sunbeam | |
|---|---|
| Body style | enclosed and streamlined with open cockpit |
| Powertrain | |
The McLaren F1 is quickly becoming one of the most desirable collector cars on the planet. It's widely touted as one of the best-driving cars of its era, and perhaps of all time. Only 106 examples exist, meaning it's news every time one comes up for sale. And this car, chassis 059, is the most unique F1 of all.
What is the weirdest F1 car ever? ›Lotus 56B – The gas turbine on wheels
Having almost won the Indy 500, the Lotus 56 was brought to Formula 1 in 1971 – and the engine itself is enough to make the 56B one of the weirdest F1 cars ever built.
Ricciardo Says 2022 McLaren 'Certainly One Of The Most' Difficult Cars He's Driven In F1.
What car just sold for $140 million? ›STUTTGART, Germany - A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe, one of only two on Earth, has sold for a record $143 million, making it the most expensive car in the world.
What car sold for $134 million? ›
An ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz race car sold for $143 million earlier this month, making it the most expensive car ever sold. The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe smashed the previous record for the most expensive car sold at auction by more than $95 million.
What car cost $2 million dollars? ›The Czinger 21C on the road in San Diego.
For US$2 million, 80 buyers will get a two-seat (with the passenger behind the driver) hybrid drivetrain rocket that can reach 60 miles per hour in 1.88 seconds, on par with the Tesla Model S Plaid edition, the Rimac Nevera, and the Lucid Air Sapphire.
The $70 million 250 GTO, sold in 2018, is widely rumored to have been purchased by billionaire David MacNeil, the founder of WeatherTech. This company produces car floor mats and other automotive accessories.
What Mercedes did 50 Cent buy? ›Gallery: All Access: 50 Cent's Wheels. He traded in the Land Cruiser for a white Mercedes-Benz 400 SEL with bulletproof windows and a 6.0 liter V-12 engine. But the second car turned out to be no better than the first. The Mercedes was conspicuous, an easy target for thieves.
What was the fastest car in 1955? ›1. The world's most expensive car: the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe became the most expensive car ever sold in 2022, having sold at auction for an eye-watering €135 million - the equivalent of £114.4 million.
What car cost $40 million dollars? ›A 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa recently sold in the U.K. for $40 million, according to people close to the deal.
What is the 70 million dollar car? ›Just this past June, German race car driver Christian Glaesel sold his 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO, chassis 4153, for somewhere between $70 million and $80 million in a private sale to WeatherTech floor mats founder David MacNeil.
Is the McLaren P1 faster than a Bugatti? ›The Bugatti in question is a regular run-of-the-mill Veyron, and not the faster, more powerful Super Sport. They're also racing from a roll, which is exceedingly dumb and not drag racing in the purest sense. But facts are facts. The McLaren P1 is just plain faster than the Veyron.
What is the fastest McLaren called? ›- 8 McLaren Artura: 205 mph.
- 7 McLaren 650S: 205 mph.
- 6 McLaren 765LT: 205 mph.
- 5 McLaren 720S: 212 mph.
- 4 McLaren P1: 217 mph.
- 3 McLaren F1 LM: 225 mph.
- 2 McLaren F1: 241 mph.
- 1 McLaren Speedtail: 250+ mph.
Which is faster P1 or F1? ›
The P1 actually feels quicker in a straight line than the F1 because the hybrid system fills in all the holes in the torque curve, providing turbocharged shove with zero lag. It doesn't sound beautiful like the F1 – in fact it sounds quite ugly – but it somehow fits the maniacal rate at which it gathers speed.
What is the most iconic Senna car? ›The McLaren MP4/4 remains Formula 1's most successful machine, with a 93.8% win ratio that helped Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost storm to victory in 15 out of the 16 races during 1988.
What is the most legendary McLaren? ›Arguably the most significant car in McLaren's long history, the John Barnard designed MP4/1 was the first carbon composite Formula 1™ car.
How much is the cheapest McLaren? ›The cheapest McLaren car is the 2022 Mclaren GT. This supercar costs $200,000 in its base standard configuration and is the super Grand Tourer from the British carmaker.
Does the McLaren Senna have a V8? ›The 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 at the heart of the McLaren Senna is the most powerful McLaren road car engine ever, producing 800PS (789bhp) and 800Nm (590lb ft), with 700Nm (516lb ft) of torque available at just 3,000rpm.
Can you drive a McLaren in the US? ›Yes, some McLaren models are street legal. The road legality of a McLaren is determined from one model to another. While some of the premium machines produced by McLaren Automotive are designed for pure track thrills, many are also approved for the road.
Can you buy retired F1 cars? ›Purchasing a retired F1 car is typically done through auctions, specialist websites, or private sellers. The vehicles available are often older models that may not have claimed any championship titles or race wins, but they still come with a significant price tag.
Is NASCAR cheaper than F1? ›As NASCAR modifies a “stock” car from popular automakers, their vehicles are relatively cheap at $25 million each. Formula 1, with all of its optimization and technology, is a little bit pricier: a team of two F1 cars costs up to $470 million.
What fuel does F1 use? ›Formula One fuel would fall under high octane premium road fuel with octane thresholds of 95 to 102. Since the 1992 season onwards all Formula One cars must mandatorily utilize unleaded racing gasoline fuel. F1 Blends are tuned for maximum performance in given weather conditions or different circuits.
How long does a F1 engine last? ›An F1 engine needs to last seven races, so seven races at 305 kilometres each equals 2135 kilometres, which when converted means an F1 engine lasts about 1326 miles.
How much does an F1 engineer make? ›
| Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | |
|---|---|---|
| Top Earners | $170,000 | $14,166 |
| 75th Percentile | $129,500 | $10,791 |
| Average | $110,956 | $9,246 |
| 25th Percentile | $88,000 | $7,333 |
Red Bull Ford will provide the power units for both the Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri teams from 2026 to at least 2030.
How much does a F1 helmet cost? ›Bell F1 helmets come in a wide range of models and cost about $6000. Verdict: the cost of an F1 helmet (FIA 8859 certified carbon fibre) is $5000 without prints. The current FIA 8860-certified F1 helmets are a bit more expensive. But it doesn't mean that you can't buy F1 helmet.
Is 4 wheel steering banned in F1? ›It was the Williams FW08D, rather than any 4-wheeled car, which prompted FISA to ban 4WD from Formula 1 in 1982.
Who activates DRS in F1? ›The attacking driver will manually activate DRS by pressing a steering wheel button – this can be arranged on the front or back of the steering wheel depending on driver preference.
Which F1 team has the most expensive car? ›| Characteristic | Brand value in million U.S. dollars |
|---|---|
| Ferrari | 1,350 |
| Mercedes | 1,015 |
| McLaren | 620 |
| Red Bull Racing | 640 |
The new king is here, except it's the same model as the last. Another Ferrari 250 GTO has claimed the crown as the most expensive car ever sold, fetching £52 million in a private sale from German racing driver Christian Glaesel to US car parts mogul David MacNeil.
What is the world's most expensive car 142 million? ›A very rare 1955 Mercedes-Benz SLR coupe that had been kept in the German automaker's collection was sold to a private owner for €135 million, the equivalent of $142 million. That price makes it the most expensive car known to ever have been sold, according to Hagerty, a company that tracks collector car values.
What is the rarest F1 car? ›1954 Mercedes W196R – sold for £19.6m in 2013. A record that is unlikely to be broken any time soon. The W196R was driven by the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio and was the car he drove when he took the second of his five F1 titles in 1954.
Which F1 driver brings the most money? ›Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are the highest-earning F1 drivers, but how much is the rest of the grid reportedly paid?
Who is the richest F1 owner? ›
Toto Wolff net worth – $1billion [£805m]
This along with his other business success makes Wolff, by quite some distance, the richest of the F1 team principals.
- Lionel Messi (Ferrari 335 s Spider Scaglietti): $35 Million. ...
- Cristiano Ronaldo( Bugatti La vitoure Noire): $18.6 Million. ...
- Son Heung-min( Ferrari LaFerrari): $3 Million. ...
- John Terry(Ferrari 275 GTB): $2.2 Million. ...
- Karim Benzama (Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang): $1.9 Million.
Shirley. The WeatherTech founder and CEO, David MacNeil became the latest member of the exclusive iconic car collector's club, and the owner of the most expensive car in the world, after biding $70 million for a Tour de France-winning 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO at auction.
What car sold for $142 million? ›On May 5, a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe sold for $142 million during an auction at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. It was the highest price ever paid for a car at auction, soundly beating the eight-figure Ferrari sales that had long topped the blue-chip billing.
What is the rarest most expensive car in the world? ›Shirley (former president and COO of Microsoft) - are just a few people who own the most expensive car in the history of automobiles. The price is $70 million, and the name is Ferrari. The 1963 Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Omologato (GTO). It is designed to race but morphs well into a road car.
What is the world's fastest car? ›What is the number one fastest car in the world? The fastest production car in the world in terms of projected figures (before an official run has been made) is the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, with a calculated top speed target of over 310mph.
How much is a Formula 1 engine? ›Unsurprisingly, the engine is the most expensive component. A singular turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 engine is worth approximately $10.5m (€130.3m), with teams allowed to use three of them throughout the season. The chassis is also notably pricey, costing around $700,000 (€663,285) to manufacture.