Most details of seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher’s life and health have been understandably off limits for the last few years, but that isn’t the case for one of his former race cars. A Ferrari that helped Schumacher to win the 2001 title will be auctioned as “contemporary art” next month.
This car helped get Schumacher his fourth F1 title, with the seventh and final coming in 2004. Less than a decade later at the end of 2013, a skiing crash left Schumacher with a head injury that put him in a coma. Legal and journalistic controversy has surrounded him since the crash, with people reportedly trying to sneak into hospital rooms, steal his medical records and the like.
The most recent update on Schumacher was that he could not walk or stand on his own, and that came in September of 2016. The family has kept updates on his medical condition quiet for years.
Before the crash, Schumacher made himself into an F1 legend. The car of his that’s currently up for auction is chassis No. 211 from the Ferrari F2001 era, which he won the 2001 Monaco Grand Prix in. It’ll be sold at an RM Sotheby’s art auction in November, and the auctioneer feels like it falls into art category because contemporary art “challenges traditional boundaries.”
But art isn’t always just to look at. The auction page for the car said it still runs “at full capability” and can be run in those historic races all the wealthy people regard as just your average, commonplace weekend hobby.
RM Sotheby’s said the car will go for more than $4 million at auction, according to Auto Guide, which puts it barely out of our price range for the next Jalopnik staffmobile. The seating arrangement might also be a little too tight for that.