Normally, these things go for 2 to 3-digit million dollars. But not Kimi Räikkönen's Lotus, which the Finn used in the first races of the 2013 season.
Kimi Räikkönen's 2013 Formula 1 car, a Lotus E21, is now for sale at a price that resembles scrap value compared to what Formula 1 cars are usually sold for.
Normally, Formula 1 cars are sold for staggering sums. Often up to 100 million Danish kroner. But Räikkönen's Lotus E21, which he drove in the 2013 season, is now up for sale for a fraction of the price.
Auction house RM Sotheby's expects the car to sell for somewhere between 2.7 and 3.5 million Danish kroner. That's still a significant sum, but far below the normal price for a Formula 1 car.
The auction house announced this in a press release .
The car is being sold by the BWT Alpine F1 team and is in the same condition as it was in the 2013 season. It is being sold as a show car and is not in running order.
In the 2013 season, Kimi Räikkönen achieved two podium finishes with the car, before handing it over to his teammate Romain Grosjean. Grosjean continued to have success with the car, and in total the Lotus E21 achieved six podium finishes over the course of the season.
At the time, the car was considered one of the best in Formula 1. It was equipped with a 2.4 liter V8 engine from Renault. However, it is unclear whether this engine is still in the car today.
The fact that the car is now being sold at such a low price has surprised many. It is a unique opportunity to acquire a piece of Formula 1 history at a relatively affordable price.
Kimi Räikkönen, known for his cool personality and his achievements in Formula 1, has left a lasting impression on the sport. The Finn's 2013 Lotus E21 is a symbol of his success. A success that actually came close to breaking Lotus financially.
Räikkönen's contract stated that he would receive 50,000 pounds, equivalent to almost 500,000 kroner, per point. He ended up earning 172 million kroner from that part of the contract alone.
The black Lotus is far from the only Formula 1 car to make it to a public auction in recent years. As recently as December last year, Boosted reported that another Formula 1 legend is getting rid of his entire collection of race cars. Find that and many other stories under the 'motorsport' section.
