We may never see another Formula 1 season like 2001, when Scuderia Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher was just beginning his early-aughts reign of five consecutive World Championships and scored a record 58-point margin of victory over the second place driver. And now's your chance to own a piece of history itself—the very same Ferrari F2001 Schumacher was driving when he iced the championship for both him and Ferrari.
RM Sotheby's will be auctioning off chassis #211 of the Brawn/Byrne-designed Ferrari F2001, a car Schumacher drove to victory in both the Monaco Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix in the 2001 season. The former win was Ferrari's last at the legendary circuit before this year and allowed Schumacher to break Alain Prost's record of 51 all-time wins. The victory in Hungary gave him an insurmountable lead in the Driver's Championship—it would soon become his fourth—and also secured Ferrari's 11th Constructor's Championship.
But here's the best part: its glory days aren't over yet. F2001 #211 remains in perfect operational condition, ready to tackle any historic track day or simply the world's most impractical (and illegal) trip to the grocery store. Along with your purchase comes a spot in the factory garage at Maranello, transportation for the car to company or private racing events, and a brigade of Ferrari mechanics and technicians to ensure everything remains in tip top shape. Sotheby's calls it "usable art," and it's hard to think of a better description.
So if you cough up the estimated $4 million this legendary F1 car is expected to bring at the November 16 sale in New York, consider it your obligation—nay, your duty—to wring out that 3.0-liter, 800 horsepower V-10 engine every chance you get. We doubt Schumacher would want it any other way.