The 2002 McLaren MP4-17A, upgraded to MP4-17D specification for the 2003 season, is being offered for sale by RM Sotheby’s as part of its European Flagship Sale at Retromobile on January 28, with an estimate of €1 million to €1.4 million ($1.7–$2.4 million AUD) and offered without reserve.
Chassis MP4-17A-06 is best remembered for its starring role in the season-opening 2003 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, where Coulthard climbed from 11th on the grid to victory in changeable conditions.
A well-timed early switch to dry tyres, combined with incidents for several rivals, allowed the Scot to take the lead and win by almost nine seconds, securing the 13th and final win of his F1 career.
Although driven to victory by Coulthard, the car is presented in the 2002 ‘West’ livery and carries the #4 associated with team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
Across the 2002 and 2003 seasons, the chassis started 12 grands prix and was driven by both Coulthard and Raikkonen, recording a further five podium finishes.
Originally built as part of McLaren’s 2002 campaign, the MP4-17A was an evolution of the MP4-16 and featured a 3.0-litre Mercedes-Benz FO110-series V10 engine.
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Following the failure of the radical MP4-18 project, the MP4-17 was brought back for 2003 in updated ‘D’ specification, with this chassis receiving its upgrade ahead of the Melbourne opener.
Raikkonen drove the car to podium finishes at the European and French Grands Prix in 2002, and later added second place at Imola in 2003.
Its final competitive outing came at the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix, where Raikkonen finished second as he narrowly missed out on the world championship to Michael Schumacher by two points.
After being retained by McLaren for 17 years, the car was acquired by its current owner in 2021. RM Sotheby’s notes that the engine will require a comprehensive rebuild prior to use.
The McLaren is one of several significant cars set to feature in the Paris sale, with Ferrari also strongly represented.
Among them is a 1997 Ferrari F310 B F1 car, estimated at between €5.5 million to €7.5 million ($9.5–$13 million AUD), which was driven by Michael Schumacher during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend and raced by Eddie Irvine later that season.
Chassis 179 retains its original engine, gearbox, chassis and bodywork, has been awarded Ferrari Classiche “Red Book” certification, and has previously appeared at Ferrari F1 Clienti events and the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
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