Grand Prix cars are making waves in the collector car market, with many breaking records at auction. The latest example is RM Sotheby’s sale of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum’s 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen, which fetched an astounding €51,155,000 on February 1, 2025. It now ranks as the second-most valuable car ever auctioned.
Another machine that looks set to deliver a strong result is a title-winning Brawn BGP 001 (chassis 001/01) currently owned by 2009 World Champion Jenson Button. The car will be hammered away on May 3, 2025, as part of Bonhams’ Miami auction, which coincides with the Miami Grand Prix weekend.
Brawn GP is one of Formula 1’s most iconic fairy tales, rising from the ashes of Honda’s 2008 F1 programme to secure both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships by the end of the 2009 season. The team was then acquired by Mercedes ahead of the 2010 season.
Chassis 001/01 is one of only three chassis the cash-strapped Brawn team ever built. It passed into Button’s ownership because of a contract clause the Briton had negotiated with the team at the start of the season.
Despite this agreement, however, Mercedes was initially reluctant to deliver the car to Button as promised, so the German manufacturer was issued with legal proceedings.
After negotiations, Jenson and Mercedes reached an amicable agreement, allowing Button to take delivery of chassis 001/01, which, ironically, was raced exclusively by team-mate Rubens Barrichello. The car Button himself drove to title glory, chassis 001/02, is now owned by Ross Brawn, while Mercedes retained chassis 001/03.
Sixteen years later, Button has decided to part ways with the car he fought to acquire. This marks the first time a Brawn GP machine has been offered at public auction. While Bonhams has not disclosed a pre-auction estimate, modern Formula 1 cars have seen strong auction results in recent years, with Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes W04 fetching $18.8m with RM Sotheby’s in 2023.
“This car represents the ultimate Formula 1 fairy tale – a revolutionary design that redefined what was possible. Chassis 001/01 is a piece of motor sport history, and its offering at auction is sure to captivate collectors worldwide,” said Miami head of sale Louis Frankel. “We are honoured to present this unrepeatable opportunity over the Miami Grand Prix, a stage befitting its legendary status.”
