If the 911 Turbo is too prosaic, you can buy a 1990 Williams-Renault F1 car for the same price

By Ronan Glon May 28, 2015

Are you in the market for a super-quick sports car that you won’t see anywhere else in town? We suggest you head over to the Goodwood Festival of Speed that will kick off in England late next month where auction house Bonhams will sell a 1990 Williams-Renault FW13 Formula 1 car.

The FW13 was introduced in 1989 as a replacement for the FW12. Highly modern for its era, it boasted a lightweight body crafted out of molded carbon and Kevlar and a double-wishbone suspension. The styling was typical of Formula 1 cars of the late 1980s.

Wearing chassis number 7, the car scheduled to cross the auction block next month was raced just four times during the 1990 season. It finished third behind Ayrton Senna’s McLaren-Honda and Jean Alesi’s Tyrrell-Ford in the United States Grand Prix in Phoenix, Arizona, and it took fifth place in Brazilian Grand Prix after being involved in a minor accident during the 30th lap. The car was fully repaired, and Bonhams states it’s in excellent aesthetic condition inside and out.

Power for the FW13 comes from a Renault-designed 3.5-liter V10 engine that spins the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. Chassis number 7 is complete save for the Magneti-Marelli electrical boxes, but the V10 mill is not running and Bonhams makes no mention of when it was last started. At any rate, the buyer will need to bring a trailer because driving this open-seater on a public road is highly illegal in just about every country on the planet.

Bonhams estimates the Williams-Renault will sell for anywhere between £90,000 and £120,000 before taxes are factored in, sums that convert to $140,000 and $180,000, respectively. To put those figures into perspective, a brand new Porsche 911 Turbo costs $151,100 while the more powerful Turbo S model retails for $182,700. Granted, the Porsche comes with a factory warranty, but it’s not anywhere near as unique as this open-seater.

Editors' Recommendations

You won’t believe how quickly Red Bull changed all four tires on this F1 car

Topics

Contributor

Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

Cars

Best electric car charger deals: $100 off home charging stations

The handle of the Grizzl-E EV charger plugged into a vehicle.

A few years ago, electric vehicles were pretty rare or cost a fortune, but with more and more of the larger car brands getting into the game, there are a lot of excellent and even budget-friendly choices nowadays. That said, the electrical network for charging your cars might not be that widespread, so instead you'll have to rely on charging your car at home. Luckily, there are a lot of excellent car chargers at a discount, so if you've just bought an EV or want to upgrade your current charging solution, be sure to check out our favorite deals below.
Shockflo EV charger — $205, was $220

This EV charger by Shockflo is a Level 2 EV charger, which offers six times faster charging than a standard charger. It delivers 24 miles with just one hour of charging, and it can act as a mobile charger you can throw in the trunk or be mounted to a wall. It has an LCD display with useful information like charging rate, voltage, and charging time, as well as LED indicator lights that lets you know charging progress and errors.

Cars

Mercedes-Benz EQG: range, price, release date, and more

Concept image of the larger electric G-Wagon

The G-Class is going electric. We already knew that Mercedes-Benz was working on an electric, small-size G-Wagon, but it looks like the company is also working on a larger G-Class SUV, in the form of the EQG. In fact, Mercedes has gone as far as to show off a concept version of the off-roader.

While there's much we don't know about what will become the production model of the EQG, Mercedes has also shared a lot about it. Curious about whether the Mercedes-Benz EQG could be the EV for you? Here's everything we know so far.
Design
Fear not -- the EQG will retain many of the design aspects of the G-Class that you already know and love but with a modern face-lift. The EQG will keep the boxy design that gives the G-Class a classic look but with some additional modern styling, at least if the concept version is anything to go by.

Cars

Rivian R2 vs. Kia EV9: battle of affordable electric SUVs

Kia EV9 GT-Line Three Quarters

The long-awaited Rivian R2 has finally been announced, and it's an excellent option for those who want an electric SUV that doesn't completely break the bank. Sure, the R2 isn't cheap -- but it's a whole lot cheaper than most other EVs out there, especially when it comes to SUVs. But Rivian isn't the only company trying to tackle the problem of the budget electric SUV. The Kia EV9 is finally available, and it too offers a modern design and a range of helpful features.

Given the fact that the Rivian R2 and Kia EV9 are two electric SUVs in a similar price range, you might be wondering which is better for your needs. That's why we put the Rivian R2 and the Kia EV9 head-to-head.
Design
Both the Rivian R2 and the Kia EV9 are actual SUVs -- not crossovers pretending to be SUVs, like plenty of other EVs out there. The two vehicles offer big, boxy designs and plenty of interior space, making them excellent options for families or those who need that extra storage.