Sotheby’s is set to present Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 Ferrari in a sale of contemporary art in New York.
The auction will mark the first time a collector car has been offered in an art sale at Sotheby’s, since the company joined forces with car specialists RM Auctions in 2015.
The F1 car has been described as "the ultimate iteration of useable art", and is expected to sell for more than $4 million when it crosses the block on November 16.
Schumacher drove chassis F2001 to victory in the 2001 Monaco Grand Prix – a result which secured him the driver’s championship for the fourth time in his remarkable career.
The win also secured the F1 Constructors Championship for Scuderia Ferrari, marking it as one of the most important race cars in the manufacturer’s illustrious history.
"The opportunity to acquire a Ferrari Formula 1 car that has been driven by Michael Schumacher does not arise often," said Sotheby’s.
"A race-winning example is truly special, but a car that won two Grand Prixes and led the greatest Formula 1 driver and the most successful Formula 1 manufacturer to two World Championship titles is nothing short of sensational."
Back in May 2016, a Benetton-Ford B191/191B Formula 1 car driven by Schumacher to two third-place finishes during the 1992 season sold at Bonhams for $1.24 million.
"Ferrari and Schumacher are the greatest names in motor-racing, with a place in the public imagination that is synonymous with the highest achievements in the field," said Grégoire Billault, Head of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art in New York.
"It is therefore entirely fitting that we offer the car that represents the pinnacle of that success alongside the great names in Contemporary Art such as Warhol, Basquiat, and Johns."
