Distraught at the news that Kimi Raikkonen will retire from Formula 1 at the end of this season? How about consoling yourself by buying one of his V10-engined McLarens from the 2002 and 2003 seasons? That should do the trick.
This particular chassis (MP4-17A-06) began its life as a West McLaren Mercedes-liveried MP4-17 designed by Adrian Newey and a number of other big names in the Formula 1 paddock. It raced seven times in the 2002 season, with Raikkonen finishing third at the Grand Prix of Europe at the Nürburgring on its first outing.
The 845hp V10 was designed by Ilmore Engineering, but it retired at 06’s next race, the British GP. Kimi then gave McLaren its best result of the season, finishing second in this car at the Grand Prix de France.
Two more DNFs and a fourth-place finish would follow for Raikkonen in chassis 06 in 2002, with David Coulthard also driving it to third at the United States GP.
When it crosses the block at the upcoming RM Sotheby’s St. Moritz sale, it’ll be in that 2002 MP4-17 trim, but this particular car was actually upgraded to 2003’s MP4-17D spec and it raced a further five times that season. Coulthard even managed a win in it at the Australian GP.
What a glorious thing this would be to own. The only stumbling block? The estimate is somewhere between £1.5 million (P104 million) and £2 million (P138.6 million). Yikes...
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
