17 Million Dollar Formula One Car Sold At The Wynn Las Vegas

The stage was set for what was supposed to be an incredible weekend of fun, furry and fast cars. Las Vegas is setting new records for attention (good or bad!). From sky high ticket prices to one of a kind cars being sold, it all happening in Las Vegas right.

RM Sotheby’s Hosts a Wild Auction

On top of hosting the Grand Prix, Vegas is also the site of an auction of high-performance vehicles hosted by auction house RM Sotheby’s. Many of the lots were listed with performance in mind, meaning that a combination of Formula One winners and various supercars were up for bid.

One such car, a listing that generated a significant amount of buzz for the auction, was Lewis Hamilton’s 2013 Mercedes W04. It’s the record-breaking car that Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix in, and won 14/17 races during the season beyond that.

A Record-Breaking Car, and the Driver Who Did It

Lewis Hamilton began his formula one drive to victory with McLaren, setting numerous records during his inaugural season and even going on to become the youngest Formula One champion before signing with Mercedes in 2013.

The 2013 racing season saw Hamilton win the Hungarian Grand Prix, using the Mercedes W04 that was put up for auction in Vegas. The W04 was the last car powered by a naturally-aspirated V8 engine, before regulations forced racing cars to switch to turbo-hybrid engines. Its specs go beyond merely the type of engine it carries, making it a one-of-a-kind listing.

People Flocked From All Over for the Auction

The auction, held inside the Wynn Hotel in Vegas, was hosted by James Corden and attended by a myriad celebrities. Some in attendance included Youtuber Shmee150, whose channel consists of him traveling the world to see exotic cars and showcase his own car collection.

Another notable attendee of the auction was Magnus Walker, a former fashion designer and car collector. Walker is known for his extensive collection of Porsche 911’s, possessing more than 40 iterations of the model. His attendance at the Formula One auction was no surprise, given the fact that several classic 911’s were on the auction block.

Lots of Expensive Cars For Sights and Sale

The Hamilton Mercedes W04 was one of the highlights of the evening, gathering a huge amount of buzz for the auction. Not just because of its famous history and the rarity of its engine construction, but also due to its proposed value. Appraisers ahead of the auction expected the car to go for anywhere from $8 million to $10 million.

Definitely a lot of money on the line for a high-performance car, though the Mercedes was far from the only car expected to pull in a high ticket price. Other cars for sale included a 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR, expected to bring in $9 million, and a rare 1990 Ferrari F40 GT expected to pull in up to $4 million.

The Bidding Was Thrilling

When the bidding started for the W04, there was palpable excitement in the air as the numbers started to rack up. Sotheby’s allows for live bidding as well as phone bidding and online bidding, and it’s thrilling for audience members to see the bid price climb for high-ticket items such as the W04.

The excitement grew even further when the bidding for the car bypassed the bottom expected price, $8 million, and then continued to climb. It blasted past the top expected bid of $10 million dollars, and the auctioneer’s gavel finally closed the sale at a record final bidding price of $17.1 million for the Mercedes W04.

A Once In a Lifetime Opportunity

Cars like the Hamilton Mercedes come around once in a very long while for car enthusiasts. Hamilton’s racing history in the car would be enough to generate buzz, but the unusual nature of its engine and the fact that it can’t be found anymore only takes the ticket price up.

Regardless of your interest in the Formula One race, sales like the Sotheby’s auction are fascinating for the amount of automotive history on the auction block. Different models and styles and values of car all go up for auction, and they all end up going to the highest bidder. Some lucky person is now the owner of a piece of racing history, and that is something to be celebrated.