I want a road-registered Porsche 917 to blast through Europe. Stopping at every beach bar along the French and Italian Riviera, playing the hero à la Steve McQueen. But some guys want even more than that. They want a Formula One car. That they can race. On a track. Against other fanatics who think they are Fangio, Hunt, Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton-rolled into one. So let's take a look at this rarified sector of the car collecting community; because of course the truth is we all want one.
There was a time when buying and owning an F1 car was relatively inexpensive. Peter Haynes, a Consigning Specialist at the world's top collector car auction house RM Sothebys, tells us that "the market for Formula One cars has traditionally been very niche and a market where values haven't always been commensurate with the historical significance of the cars." He points out that cars from the 1940s, '50s and even the early '60s are more commonly referred to as Grand Prix cars; technically the first Formula One race was at Silverstone in England in 1950.
"Although Formula One machines are exotic by any measure, cars from that earlier Grand Prix era have always been relatively easy to own and race because they are, at least by the standards of more modern machines, technologically simple," he notes, "and there are many places where owners can race them." From the 1970s onwards however, "the cars became increasingly technical and aerodynamics began to play a significant part. By the late 1980s through to the modern day, these cars rapidly became computers on wheels with highly sophisticated engineering, electrical and hydraulic systems, sensors, and very advanced engines and transmissions."
This story is from the March - April 2023 edition of Maxim US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March - April 2023 edition of Maxim US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Enzo on the Silver Screen
Michael Mann’s new biopic of Enzo Ferrari starring Adam Driver is set to make the legend burn even brighter
Some Like it HОТ
We piloted Ferrari's fantastie new open-topped grand tourer through the craggy hills of Sardinia
THE LEGEND OF ENZO
DURING HIS LIFETIME FERRARI FORGED THE ENTIRE PANTHEON OF MOTORSPORTS
THIS SIDE of PARADISE
A landmark new exhibition of Ellen von Unwerth’s work is suitably playful and provocative
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA IN BELIZE 10-MS
The famed director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now tells us why the Central American country has captured one of the world's greatest imaginations,
WEAPONS of WICK
Meet master engraver Melissa McMinn, who created Keanu Reeves’ dueling pistols for the hit franchise
SUDDENLY This SUMMER
Model, influencer and actress Summer Soderstrom is the blonde bombshell we're keeping our eye on
VIVA LAS VEGAS
We wade into the spectacle that was the reborn Las Vegas Grand Prix
DRINKING La DOLCE VITA
From pioneering distilling methods to the massive success of Martini Racing, the story of the most iconic name in aperitifs
FIVE-STAR STYLE
With an impressive roster of ultra-high-net-worth clients, i design powerhouse Rigby Rigby is making waves Bei on the Riviera and beyond