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.
