Photo: RM Sothebys
There are a few things that make Formula 1 great, but the cars are by far the most interesting thing related to the sport. The engineering that goes into them is mind-blowing, and one such mean machine is looking for a wealthy collector.
A Formula 1 car is currently looking for a new owner in Munich, Germany. The car in question is a McLaren from what a fair number of fans consider to be a golden age in Formula 1’s history. A time when McLaren and Ferrari were still battling for championships and Schumacher was just starting to create a legacy that would go into the history books. This was also the screaming V10 era of Formula 1, something that is sorely missed by the fans to this day.
The vehicle in question is chassis number MP4-16A-05 and represents McLaren’s answer to the Scuderia. The Woking-based team was looking to bounce back from the previous season and claim another championship. While that did not come to pass, the car won the Austrian Grand Prix in the 2001 season with David Coulthard at the wheel, who finished the season in second place, just behind Schumacher.
During that time, the British driver was in his 5th season at McLaren, paired up with The Flying Finn, Mika Häkkinen, who also drove the car to a 3rd place finish at the Canadian GP. He drove a great race, climbing up five places from his position on the starting grid and displacing his teammate from the podium.
But the car saw a couple more successful races, scoring a second-place finish in the San Marino Grand Prix, once again in the hands of Coulthard. Another notable outing on the track was Monaco, where the Brit managed a great qualifying lap, which would have granted him pole position. Unfortunately, a refueling issue caused him to start from the back of the grid, but the British driver still managed to finish a respectable P5, with the fastest lap.
With the history lesson out of the way, let’s move to the current state of the car. It has been acquired by the seller in June 2020 and is presented in complete condition, albeit with a big caveat. It can’t be taken racing, as it has a dummy engine.
However, the McLaren MP4-16A-05 could be returned to the track with a full overhaul. Even so, this Formula 1 car is a piece of automotive history. It would be an amazing addition to the garage of any collector with deep enough pockets for the $2,000,000 asking price.
The vehicle in question is chassis number MP4-16A-05 and represents McLaren’s answer to the Scuderia. The Woking-based team was looking to bounce back from the previous season and claim another championship. While that did not come to pass, the car won the Austrian Grand Prix in the 2001 season with David Coulthard at the wheel, who finished the season in second place, just behind Schumacher.
During that time, the British driver was in his 5th season at McLaren, paired up with The Flying Finn, Mika Häkkinen, who also drove the car to a 3rd place finish at the Canadian GP. He drove a great race, climbing up five places from his position on the starting grid and displacing his teammate from the podium.
But the car saw a couple more successful races, scoring a second-place finish in the San Marino Grand Prix, once again in the hands of Coulthard. Another notable outing on the track was Monaco, where the Brit managed a great qualifying lap, which would have granted him pole position. Unfortunately, a refueling issue caused him to start from the back of the grid, but the British driver still managed to finish a respectable P5, with the fastest lap.
With the history lesson out of the way, let’s move to the current state of the car. It has been acquired by the seller in June 2020 and is presented in complete condition, albeit with a big caveat. It can’t be taken racing, as it has a dummy engine.
However, the McLaren MP4-16A-05 could be returned to the track with a full overhaul. Even so, this Formula 1 car is a piece of automotive history. It would be an amazing addition to the garage of any collector with deep enough pockets for the $2,000,000 asking price.
Google News