McLaren-Mercedes F1 Car MP4-21 Former Juan Pablo Montoya Ride Auctioned, Priced? Fantastic!

McLaren-Mercedes MP4-21. (Doc. RM Sotheby's)

JAKARTA - Monterey Car Week is one of the most anticipated automotive events in Monterey County, California, United States annually and this year will take place August 15-17.

At this event there is something special about RM Sotheby's auction house which will auction off the legendary Formula 1 McLaren-Mercedes MP4-21 car that Juan Pablo Montoya once driven in the 2006 F1 racing event.

MP4-21 has a special history and specifications. Not surprisingly, this car is estimated to sell for fantastic prices between 2.8 million to 3.5 million US dollars (around Rp45.7 billion to Rp57.2 billion).

Produced in 2006, the car was designed by Adrian Newey, the important figure behind McLaren's success at the time. Interestingly, MP4-21 became McLaren-Mercedes' last car to be born out of Newey's cold hands before he moved to Red Bull Racing.

For the matter of the kitchen runway, as a Formula 1 car, it is clear that MP4-21 is armed with a Mercedes-Benz FO108S V8 2.4 liter powerful engine capable of vomiting up to 750 dk at 19,000 rpm! Not only that, the weight is light thanks to the use of sophisticated materials, which makes the speed of this car faster.

Once Used By Montoya In 3 Races

The car with chassis number #21A-03 was once driven by Montoya in three early races F1 2006, namely Bahrain, Malaysia, and Australia. Despite having led the race in Bahrain, Montoya had to settle for finishing in fifth position.

His best achievement with MP4-21 was achieved in Malaysia by finishing in fourth position. Unfortunately, the work of this car with Montoya had to stop faster due to electrical problems at the Australian GP.

After retiring from the world of F1, this MP4-21 was well stored by McLaren. In fact, in 2019, McLaren Racing Heritage made full restoration of this car. That way, engine performance, gyrboks, and other important components are well maintained.

According to RM Sotheby's, quoted July 1, this MP4-21 is not only suitable for collection, but can also be used again at exhibitions or classic car racing.