When seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher confirmed his comeback and joined the Mercedes Benz GP team in 2010, there were high hopes from the public, hoping to see the “car god” back on the track. Unfortunately, fans had to wait two more years to see the car god on the podium again, and it turned out to be the last time. Today, we may have to bid farewell to him on the track once again.
Auction house Bonhams is about to hold an auction in Paris, one of the items being Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate that he received from the Mercedes GP team (which was still unnamed at the time), estimated to be worth $440,000 to $880,000 Hong Kong dollars, and will be officially auctioned on February 3rd.
According to reports, when the racing legend announced his return to the Mercedes GP Petronas team in 2010, he received a C63 AMG as a daily driver. It wasn’t until late July of the same year that he sold the vehicle to a Swiss gentleman, who kept it until 2015. Bonhams stated that when they received the car from the seller, it had already clocked 152,000 kilometers, but despite changing hands twice since production, the car still retains all original parts and has only been serviced by the manufacturer, with reports indicating that the car’s performance and appearance are still at a very high level. Interestingly, the last owner of the car was actually an engineer at Mercedes-Benz, who immediately restored the car to its optimal condition upon receiving it, including fitting it with four brand new wheels, and only drove it for less than 1,000 kilometers afterwards.
The C-Class model with the code name W204, produced between 2007 and 2015, and the highest level model in the same series is the C63. As the most powerful level in the series, this C63 is equipped with a 6.2L 32-valve V8 engine produced by AMG, with a horsepower output of 450 hp and a torque of 600 Nm, its power is transmitted to the rear wheels through a seven-speed automatic transmission. Official data shows that the W204 accelerates from 0 to 96 km/h in about 4 seconds.
Since this W204 is not a collector’s level, and in 2010 it did travel across different tracks with the car god, the current appearance is not 100% flawless. As seen in the pictures, there are minor flaws in some areas, such as fogging and dust on the headlights, noticeable small scratches on the front panel of the grille, and obvious signs of use on the leather inside the cabin, but the extent is still quite ideal; moreover, both the factory and the auction house indicate that these parts can be completely restored.
What price will this “Car God’s Seat” ultimately change hands for? At that time, fans of Michael Schumacher may want to pay attention. For now, why not revisit the precious footage of the car god conducting a test drive of this C63!
資料及圖片來源：Bonhams
