Monaco-winning Ferrari breaks record at auction

HOW do you spice up an art auction? Throw a grand prix-winning Ferrari Formula 1 car into the mix, of course.

That’s what auction house Sotheby’s did over the weekend for its Contemporary Art Evening Auction in New York. The F2001 was put under the hammer, fetching a record $US7.5 million ($A9.9 million).

That price makes it the most expensive modern-era F1 car sold at auction, blowing the $5.5-$7.2 million estimate out of the water.

What makes this particular Ferrari special is it is didn’t just win any old grand prix, but the Monaco GP, at the hands of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher.

While art snobs may have turned their noses up at the idea of having a fuel-guzzling, screaming F1 car going under the hammer alongside artworks by the likes of Andy Warhol, we thoroughly endorse the idea.

This was the first time a car was offered at a Sotheby’s art auction, with eight potential buyers waging a six-minute bidding war over the lot.

Powered by a 3.0-litre V10, the F2001 is a simplistically beautiful F1 car from a time before aero additions went too far.

The 2001 Monaco Grand Prix was a classic of Schumacher’s career. The German dominated the race, leading home teammate Rubens Barrichello for a Ferrari one-two.

Only 10 of the 22 starters managed to finish the race, while Schumacher put all bar the top four a lap down by the end of his 78-lap run.

It would be Ferrari’s last win in Monaco in 16 years, before Sebastian Vettel claimed victory again for Maranello in 2017.

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