This Radio-Controlled Ferrari F1 Car Could Be Yours... for $250,000 or So

This R.C. Ferrari F1 Car Could Sell for $250,000Graham Budd Auctions

A 1:3 scale radio-controlled Formula 1 car inspired by the Ferrari F2002 championship-winning car is going to auction, but if you want to add it to your toy collection, you'd better be prepared to pay up. The Graham Budd auction will be held at Whittlebury Park, Silverstone, United Kingdom on July 4, just days before the British Grand Prix. If this model car reaches pre-auction estimates, it will become one of the most valuable R.C. cars of all time.

R.C. cars are a lot of fun, obviously; they allow hobbyists to race and compete for far less than it would cost to field an actual race car. However, the car that is going to auction is not your typical Traxxas R.C. buggy. This remote-controlled Ferrari F2002 took more than 1,000 hours of work to design and build ‚ and at nearly six feet long, it's far larger than your typical R.C. car.

But that's not all that makes this car special.

Stéphane Andrist is the master mechanic behind this incredible creation. Andrist is the co-founder of Medicatech, a Swiss company that creates and maintains cutting-edge surgical equipment. So, as you would expect from a Swiss company that builds surgical equipment, the precision and attention to detail on this RC Ferrari F2002 is second to none.

Where the original F2002 car was powered by a V10 engine, the model uses two 4-stroke OS Pegasus F320 engines. These engines may not develop 835 horsepower like the actual car, but they make enough to push the R.C. car to a top speed of 50 mph. Considering the size and speed of this car, the next owner is going to need access to a sizable field or track in order to fully enjoy it.

Graham Budd Auctions

Making it even cooler: Michael Schumacher, who drove the Ferrari F2002 to his fifth F1 title in 2002, heard about this R.C. car creation back in November of 2003. He asked for a demonstration — and was reportedly so impressed, that he signed the rear spoiler.

This exceptional 1:3 scale radio-controlled Formula 1 car is listed with an opening bid of £90,000, roughly $114,000. The final sale estimate is £150,000–200,000, or about $190,000–$252,000. Assuming it sells for somewhere within that range, this would be one of the most expensive R.C. cars ever sold. But if any R.C. car deserves that title, it would be this one.

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