If you want a fast Mercedes-Benz don’t bother with any of their road cars. What you need is something from that so-called “pinnacle of motorsport,” Formula One. Mercedes just listed their 2013 W04 F1 car for sale so you—yes, you, mere mortal with way too much cash—can own Lewis Hamilton’s race car.
The W04 evolved from the 2012 W03 F1 car, with an updated five-element front wing design, a refined second-generation , front thrust-arm suspension and rear strut rod suspension, per the listing on Mercedes-Benz Classic’s All Time Stars sales branch . It packs just shy of 819 horsepower out of a eardrum-shatteringly loud V8 engine. Best of all, the W04 got rid of the ungainly on the previous year’s car.
For better or for worse, this is not one of Hamilton’s championship-winning cars. Mercedes’ streak of utter domination didn’t begin until 2014, when Formula One switched to V6 hybrid engines. Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel actually took the championship title that year.
So, in that respect, it may not be as precious to the Mercedes faithful, and fewer hearts will break when you accidentally rich-guy it into a SAFER barrier. But it’s still a notable car. This car is from the first year Lewis Hamilton drove for Mercedes, becoming the first British Mercedes driver since Stirling Moss in 1955.
The two drivers of the Mercedes W04 won three races in 2013, earning the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team a second place finish in the F1 Constructors’ Championship. This chassis that is for sale participated in 14 of the season’s 19 races, and won the Hungarian Grand Prix.
It was also the final year of F1's V8 engines—an engine note that was dearly missed when the formula downsized its engines. The future owner of this F1 car won’t just own one of the fastest cars around—they’ll also have one of the loveliest sounding.
So, don’t miss out on your chance to also be slower than Sebastian Vettel. The car is listed as “not raceworthy or roadworthy” and in “Concours” condition in its current state, but I’m certain that boatloads of cash could change that in a jiffy.
Pricing is not listed on the advertisement, either. If you have to ask, haha! We all know how that saying ends. We have asked anyway, and will update this post if we hear back.