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.
![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.](https://www.classic-car-auctions.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2013-Mercedes-AMG-Petronas-F1-W0414104-750x422.jpg)
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
![A 2013 Mercedes Formula 1 W04, driven by Lewis Hamilton to his first grand prix victory for Mercedes-AMG Petronas is on sale at the RM Sotheby's Las Vegas 2023 sale.](https://www.classic-car-auctions.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2013-Mercedes-AMG-Petronas-F1-W041410468-750x422.jpg)
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
![2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster on sale in the RM Sotheby's Las Vegas 2023 car auction](https://www.classic-car-auctions.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2002-Mercedes-Benz-CLK-GTR-Roadster1423216_-750x422.jpg)
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
![1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Coupe on sale in the RM Sotheby's Las Vegas 2023 car auction](https://www.classic-car-auctions.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/1999-Mercedes-Benz-CLK-GTR-Coupe1424574_-750x422.jpg)
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.