Lewis Hamilton’s race-winning 2013 Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 racing car topped the results at the RM Sotheby’s Las Vegas 2023 collector car auction.
The top two results at the RM Sotheby’s Las Vegas 2023 collector car auction set stunningly high new model records. The 2023 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 W04 car sold for $18,815,000, as the most expensive modern-era F1 racing car while the 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster became only the fifth Mercedes ever to achieve over $10 million in a public auction. Eleven cars sold for over a million dollars including a new Lexus marque record.
RM Sotheby’s Las Vegas 2023 Sale
RM Sotheby’s: special auction in the Wynn Las Vegas on 17 November 2023 during the Las Vegas Formula 1 Grand Prix.
The auction featured around three dozen cars and a couple of sport-related memorabilia. The auction also included football superstar Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey from his final NFL game — it sold for $1,391,000.
Top Results at the RM Sotheby’s Las Vegas 2023 Sale
The top results at the RM Sotheby’s Las Vegas 2023 collector car auction were:
| Link | Year | Car | Price ($) | Estimate |
| 1 | 2013 | Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 W04 | 18,815,000 | 10,000,000 – 15,000,000 |
| 2 | 2002 | Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster | 10,235,000 | 10,500,000 – 13,000,000 |
| 3 | 2012 | Lexus LFA Nürburgring Package | 1,875,000 | 1,800,000 – 2,400,000 |
| 4 | 2022 | Ferrari 812 Competizione | 1,765,000 | 1,650,000 – 1,950,000 |
| 5 | 1988 | Porsche 959 ‘Komfort’ | 1,765,000 | 1,650,000 – 1,850,000 |
| 6 | 2008 | Bugatti Veyron 16.4 | 1,600,000 | 1,800,000 – 2,200,000 |
| 7 | 2015 | Porsche 918 ‘Weissach’ Spyder | 1,600,000 | 1,900,000 – 2,200,000 |
| 8 | 2005 | Porsche Carrera GT | 1,545,000 | 1,500,000 – 1,750,000 |
| 9 | 2021 | McLaren Elva | 1,517,500 | 1,800,000 – 2,400,000 |
| 10 | 1957 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster | 1,215,000 | 1,300,000 – 1,600,000 |
| 11 | 1994 | Porsche 911 Turbo S 3.6 Package | 1,187,500 | 1,250,000 – 1,550,000 |
| 12 | 1994 | Porsche 911 Turbo S X85 Flat-Nose | 995,000 | 1,000,000 – 1,250,000 |
| 13 | 2012 | Lexus LFA | 940,000 | 900,000 – 1,200,000 |
Record Results at the RM Sotheby’s Las Vegas 2023 Car Auction
Although the top Ferraris failed to sell at Las Vegas, RM Sotheby’s had some stunning results at the collector car auction held during the 2023 Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend. The top two results not only set new model records but increased the number of Mercedes cars ever sold for over $10 million from three to five. The 2012 Lexus LFA Nürburgring Package set a new marque record, although the first 2021 Lexus LC500 sold for $2 million in a charity auction.
2013 Mercedes-AMG Petronas — Most Expensive Modern-Era Formula 1 Racing Car
The 2013 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 W04-04, driven by Lewis Hamilton, sold for a new record $18,815,000 as the top result in the RM Sotheby’s Las Vegas 2023 collector car auction. It became the most expensive Formula 1 racing car from the modern era and second only to the 1954 Mercedes Benz W196R sold for $29,650,000 at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed 2013 sale. The previous record for a modern F1 car was $14,880,000 paid for the 2003 Ferrari F2003-GA F1 in which Michael Schumacher secured his sixth championship (and won five Grand Prix races) at Sotheby’s Geneva Luxury Week sale in 2022.
What made this 2013 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 W04-04 so special?
- Scarcity: it is the first Mercedes-AMG Petronas car ever offered for sale in a public auction and reputedly the only one ever sold outside the company sphere.
- Lewis Hamilton: Lewis Hamilton won his first race for Mercedes (Hungarian GP 2013) in W04-04 and drove it at 14 out of 19 races in the 2013 Formula 1 season.
- Only one other Hamilton F1 victory car has ever been sold at auction (and that was a McLaren).
2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster
The 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster sold for $10,235,000 as the second most expensive car in the RM Sotheby’s Las Vegas 2023 collector car auction. It set an astonishing new model record — the only other CLK GTR Roadster ever sold at auction achieved only $2.3 million at Bonhams Goodwood 2015 — new the roadsters sold for around $1.5 million (before options and taxes).
This 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster was the third of only six produced by Mercedes as an open-top variant of the homologation special built to allow participation in the 1990s FIA GT Championship. Its 6.9-liter V12 engine produces 604 horsepower, which allows this roadster to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds and reach over 200 mph. However, despite the awesome potential, this roadster has only been driven for 170 km — hardly enough to warrant the use of the fitted luggage set.
This CLK GTR Roadster is in the USA on a “show or display” exemption and has been on static display since 2018 — the new owner should thus expect a fairly heavy service bill if planning to actually drive the car.
Top Cars NOT Sold at RM Sotheby’s Las Vegas 2023 Sale
The following were the top cars not sold during the RM Sotheby’s Las Vegas 2023 classic car auction:
| Year | Car | Highest Bid $ | Estimate |
| 1999 | Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Coupe | NS 7,000,000 | 8,000,000 – 9,000,000 |
| 2017 | Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta | NS 4,900,000 | 5,300,000 – 5,800,000 |
| 2014 | Ferrari LaFerrari | NS 3,500,000 | 3,900,000 – 4,400,000 |
| 1990 | Ferrari F40 GT | NS 2,800,000 | 3,250,000 – 4,000,000 |
| 1994 | Bugatti EB110 Super Sport | NS 1,800,000 | 2,500,000 – 3,250,000 |
All the top Ferraris on offer in the sale failed to reach the reserve prices — if the highest unsuccessful bids were accepted, the results could have been among the highest prices paid for the respective models. The only Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Coupe sold at auction achieved $4.5 million at RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2018.