On the eve of the Monaco Grand Prix at the RM Sotheby's auction, the legendary Ferrari F2001 car was sold, at which seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher performed. The car left the hammer for $ 18.17 million, which was an absolute record for the German pilot racing car.
It was at the wheel of the F2001, equipped with an atmospheric 3.0-liter engine of V10 with a capacity of 825 hp, that Schumacher won one of its most famous victories-at the 2001 Monaco Grand Prix. In addition, he triumphed in Hungary in the same year and became a champion ahead of schedule, bringing the Ferrari Cup of Designers. The car weighs only 600 kg and accelerates to 100 km/h in 2 seconds, and its maximum speed exceeds 350 km/h. It also has a 7-speed automatic transmission, typical of cars of that period.
Ferrari F2001 was a complete restoration at the Ferrari official plant. Now this exclusive racing car is able to ride on its own, and the new owner can even test it on the track. In total, Ferrari made only 11 cars of the F2001 model. It was attended by legends such as Ross Brown (the current Director of Formula-1) and Rori Birn, a leading Ferrari engineer of that time.
This particular instance has long been stored in a private collection, which only increased its value. Despite the fact that other Schumacher machines were sold earlier at the auctions, none of them reached that value.
The price of $ 18.17 million has made the F2001 Ferrari's most expensive cars sold since Schumacher's dominance. The bidding took place in Monaco, which is symbolic, because it was here that the car won one of the key victories. Earlier at the auction of Sotheby's Ferrari F2003-GA went for $ 14.9 million-and it was a record until F2001 beat him.
