TO be Lewis Hamilton for a day.
The F1 ace has amassed a £300m fortune that allows him to indulge in the best boys’ toys around.
And boy does the racing legend know how to spend it – splashing his cash on the best cars that could earn him the title of ultimate celebrity petrol head.
The eco-warrior equalled Michael Schumacher’s seven world titles last season and has a deal with Mercedes to race till 2023.
Join SunSport in taking a look at the staggering fleet of cars that sees Hamilton, 36, live like a king.
I don’t know anything about wine. I don’t know a huge amount about art. But what I do know is cars, and I’m very particular about them.”
Lewis Hamilton on motors
CARS
Lewis has a fleet of motors worth around… wait for it… £13 million.
Of course, being a driver, he’s a car fanatic and collects everything from supercars to vintage classics that he divides between two garages – one in Monaco and another in LA.
“I don’t know anything about wine. I don’t know a huge amount about art. But what I do know is cars, and I’m very particular about them,” he once said.
Amusingly, so they keep their value, when Hamilton doesn’t want to drive them back home – he reportedly has a tow-truck that comes to pick them up from whatever restaurant or club he’s at.
Here’s just some of his extravagant collection.
PAGANI ZONDA 760 LH
The rarest motor in Hamilton’s possession is a £1.6m Pagani Zonda that was made entirely for him.
The exterior and interiors are purple, and at the request of the sports star he opted for a manual gearbox instead of the usual sequential one.
His reasons? Because he hated getting behind the wheel of it initially.
“The Zonda is terrible to drive!” he once said.
“It’s the best-sounding car I own, but handling-wise it’s the worst.”
That could be why in 2015 Hamilton got in an accident that caused some significant damage to the cherished motor.
1966 SHELBY 427 COBRA
The highest valued car in Hamilton’s collection is this stunning classic.
Believed to be worth around £4m, it’s a rare sight – unless you’ve seen the racer cruising along the Pacific Coast Highway in LA.
Hamilton was often spied taking his ex-missus Nicole Scherzinger for a spin in this beauty, which would have him standing out from the crowd.
LAFERRARI
Every car aficionado worth their weight in salt owns this £1m Ferrari – another collector’s item that rises in value as the years go by.
Capable of reaching a top speed of 217 mph, the LaFerrari can hit 0-62 mph in just 2.4 seconds, meaning it’s Hamilton’s fastest car he owns.
Footballers including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Son Heung-min also drive this frighteningly fast motor that must be just like handling a racing car.
MERCEDES-AMG PROJECT ONE
Lewis has already got his hands on a Project One, that’s not even supposed to be out till next year.
He was heavily involved in the production of the plug-in hybrid sports car that’s capable of hitting a top speed of 217mph.
Only 275 are going to be released at a cost of around £2m.
Make that 274 now, since Hamilton has one.
MERCEDES-AMG SLS BLACK
He already owned a SL Black Series, so why not add the SLS, right?
Hamilton, who clearly has a need for speed, added this supercar to his garage probably because it’s the fastest Mercedes in production.
Powered by a 6.2-litre V8 engine that produces 622bhp – the SLS can reach a top speed of 196 mph.
It also hits 0-60 in just 3 seconds – making it the ideal car for Hamilton to get his thrills off the track with. For a price tag of £230k, it’s just what you’d expect really.
MCLAREN P1
Despite splitting with McLaren’s racing team, Hamilton can’t have felt too aggrieved with his former employers because in 2015 he added a £2m P1 to his extensive list of rides.
The P1 has a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, which is twinned with an electric motor that means the supercar has a total power and torque output of 903 bhp and 980 Nm of torque.
In real talk that means it’s fast and powerful, can hit a top of 217 mph and 0-60mph in under 2.7 seconds.
1967 FORD MUSTANG SHELBY GT500
The second classic car that’s part of his fleet, fans of the Hollywood movie Gone In 60 Seconds might recognise this motor as looking to similar to one of the Eleanor models from the film.
Hamilton had his customised by Oklahoma shop Classic Recreations for additional cost.
At auctions, these can fetch up to £750k, and you can bet Hamilton’s is in tip-top condition. That said, we doubt he’ll ever sell it.
BEST OF THE REST
When the Mercedes-Maybach 6 came out in 2016, Hamilton made sure he got his hands on the concept car.
The 2×2 coupe is completely electric, and can run up to 200 miles before it’ll need recharging.
Hamilton also has another Mercedes – the Maybach S600, which is a luxurious chauffeur’s car with a partition separating the front seats from the back.
Both those motors have a combined worth of around £800k.
And Hamilton doesn’t mind swapping four wheels for two – sometimes taking his £6,500 Honda CRF450RX Motocross Bike around the dirt tracks of California.
Then there’s also his Maverick X3 dune buggy that would’ve set him back around £20k, that’s also electric in theme with his eco-warrior status.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
