On February 3, Thursday, Bonhams Les Grandes Marques à Paris Sale will be offering a couple of motor cars that were driven on and off the track by one of the motorsport legends – Michael Schumacher.
Both cars hailed from the year that the seven times Formula 1 World Champion became part of the new Mercedes GP Petronas Formula 1 Team. The 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate was his first ‘company car’ under the newly formed Formula 1 team. It is offered at No Reserve and is estimated to be €50,000 to €100,000.
The Mercedes-Benz C63 was used by Schumacher until July 28, 2010, and he was registered as the car’s ‘Conducteur’. The example was finished in black with matching black leather interior. As is fitting for the World Champion, the car was given a lot of luxurious options that easily amounted more than €20,000. The C63 has a 152,000-kilometer mileage and is being offered by its fourth owner.
The other car is a 2010 Tesla Roadster that Michael Schumacher demonstrated in 2010’s Race of Champions event in Dusseldorf. It is estimated at €135,000 to €200,000.
2010 was also the year that Schumacher made his fourth appearance in the Race of Champions, wherein renowned drivers from different motorsport genres go up against each other in identical vehicles to see who the best of the best really are. He claimed his fourth victory in the event with his long-time Race of Champions partner Sebastian Vettel.
Schumacher went up against rally driver Sébastian Loeb as they both drove the 2.5 Tesla Roadsters that were specially prepared for the event. It had an added roll cage, carbon-fiber racing seat with six-point harness, a stripped interior, and a red button sitting prominently on the dashboard which immediately cuts the power in an emergency.
After the event, the current consigner and sole owner acquired the Roadster from the Tesla dealership in Monaco. It was still in its racing configuration with the left rear wing signed by three of the drivers from Race of Champions, including Loeb. The Tesla is registered in France and has covered less than 15,00 kilometers from new.
Bonhams Motoring and Les Grandes Marques a Paris Head of Sale and International Chairman Philip Kantor shared, “Not many people can say that they have followed in the tyre tracks of a true motorsport legend but there are two opportunities to do so at our Paris sale. Both cars are unmissable for any motorsport enthusiast or collector.”
Set in the heart of the French capital, Les Grandes Marques a Paris Sale will also be offering several other collectors’ cars with a great motorsport history.
A collection of a Gentleman Driver has 23 period and replica racing cars, and all are being offered with No Reserve. It is led by a record breaker 1988 Audi 200 Turbo Quattro Nardo 6000 Speed Record Car estimated at €300,000 to €500,000 (No Reserve).
Only three works cars were produced and the example is the only one remaining. It was managed by then Volkswagen Group chairman Dr. Ferdinand Piëch and built to NASCAR regulations. It has lightweight Kevlar aprons and fenders, aluminum roof, and plexiglass windows. Under the hood is Audi’s 2.2-liter inline five-cylinder engine with an output of 360 hp and a top speed of 350 kph.
At the Nardo Ring test track in Italy, the example set two world and nine class records. It was purchased directly from Audi by Dr. Sigi Brunn, one of its record-setting drivers.
A 1991 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II DTM is also offered at No Reserve. The example was built by the DTM’s Team Snobeck. Alain Cudini campaigned it in the 1991 DTM championship and was later driven by Michael Neugarten in the Belgian Procar series 1992/1993. It has an estimate of €300,000 to €400,000 (No Reserve).
A 1982 BMW E28 528i ‘Eggenberger’ Competition car is also on offer. It was prepared for the European Touring Car Championship for that year. It was also entered at the Spa-Francorchamps 24-Hours several times. It is estimated at €120,000 to €180,000 and is offered at No Reserve.
Race Ready Replicas
There are also a few well-built and race-ready replicas that will be offered at the event. One of which is the 1975 Chevrolet Monza AMSA AAGT Replica Race-car which is estimated to be €250,000 to €350,000 and is offered at No Reserve.
A 1995 Sauber C9 ‘BMW M1’ Group 5 BASF replica is a Belcar Historic race winner and is eligible for the Le Mans Classic. It has an estimate of €200,000 to €300,000 and is offered at No Reserve.
A 1978 Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0 ‘Dakar’ Replica was built to the same specification as the original 1,000km Nurburgring-winning car of Nelson Piquet. It has an estimate of €150,000 to €200,000, also offered at No Reserve.
Other motorsport highlights include:
1931 Invicta 4 ½-Liter S-Type Low Chassis Sports ‘Sentinel’ with a coachwork by Carbodies. It is one of the finest sports cars from the Vintage era. Only 77 of the S-Types were extensively campaigned, and the example has a guaranteed entry into the most prestigious events worldwide including the Mille Miglia Storica.
2007 Matra MS630 Sports Prototype Continuation, chassis no. 630-05. The example is an authorized continuation of the 1967 MSCs that were made using the original blueprints. Under the hood is a race ready GT40-type engine. The example is also race ready as it has been campaigned in the 2013 Masters Series and won the 2015 Daytona Classic Qualifying Race.
1966 Porsche 911 2.0L SWB FIA is an early short wheelbase example. It has competed in the French historic motorsport since 2000.The example is ready to be raced in most of the prestigious race events being a veteran of the 2013 Master Series and the 2015 Daytona Classic where it won in the qualifying race. The example already has an entry to this year’s Le Mans Classic retrospective race and is estimated at €100,000 to €140,000.
The Les Grandes Marques à Paris Sale have a new venue and it will be held at the Grand Palais Ephémère exhibition pavilion on the Champs de Mars in the middle of the French capital. It will be held on February 3, Thursday as a traditional live auction.
The event will be following strict local Covid-related guidelines and social distancing protocols. Bids will be accepted from all clients in the room. The sale will be available through the Bonhams app. Registered bidders will have the chance to bid real time online through Bonhams.com as the event will be broadcasted. Bonhams are also encouraging absentee and telephone bids.
The Les Grandes Marques à Paris Sale catalogue is already available to view online through https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/27526/.
The Grand Palais Ephémère will host a pre-sale viewing from February 2 to February 3. To bid, contact [email protected] to register.
