{"id":501880,"date":"2026-02-27T00:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T00:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/501880\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T00:04:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T00:04:11","slug":"nows-your-chance-to-buy-one-of-sennas-coolest-looking-turbo-f1-cars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/501880\/","title":{"rendered":"Now’s Your Chance to Buy One of Senna’s Coolest-Looking Turbo F1 Cars"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"senna Here’s Your Chance To Buy a Senna Turbo F1 Car Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s <\/p>\n

Given the controversy surrounding the new engine regulations<\/a> ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season, fans have wasted no time reminiscing about the powertrains of yesteryear. And while we all love the soundtrack provided by the V-10s and V-12s, the turbocharged monsters of the 1980s remain the historical high point for insanity in F1.<\/p>\n

Now, thanks to RM Sotheby\u2019s<\/a>, one particularly lucky fan will get to take their mind off of the current F1 drama by taking home one of the single most iconic cars from that era. This incredible 1986 Lotus 98T raced by none other than Ayrton Senna isn\u2019t going to go cheap, however.<\/p>\n

\"1986 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s <\/p>\n

Senna joined Lotus in 1985, following his ninth-place debut season with Toleman the year prior. The pairing of Senna and the turbo V-6-powered 97T would result in 38 points scored, enough to secure a much-improved 4th place in the driver\u2019s championship. The 1986 season saw the arrival of the 98T, which remains one of the most iconic of all F1 racers. Powered by the same 1.5-liter Renault V-6 as its predecessor, the 98T was capable of producing over 800 horsepower in race spec, while qualifying trim could see that number jump well over 1000 hp.<\/p>\n

\"senna Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s <\/p>\n

Senna would make great use of the car during the season, taking home wins at both the 1986 Spanish Grand Prix and 1986 United States Grand Prix. The latter victory in Detroit represents the last time we\u2019d see a John Player Special<\/a>-liveried machine take the checkered flag, as the 98T was the final car under that partnership. Senna would also use the 98T to secure eight pole positions throughout the season, foreshadowing the dominance that would come just a few years later. Senna would finish the 1986 season in 4th place once more, trailing Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, and Nelson Piquet.<\/p>\n

\"senna Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s <\/p>\n

\u201cThis car checks every single box,\u201d RM Sotheby\u2019s Ethan Gibson told Road & Track. \u201cFormula One is bigger than ever right now, and the Lotus 98T sits right at the center of the sport\u2019s most legendary era, driven by arguably the most celebrated driver we\u2019ve ever seen. The iconic livery, the insane horsepower, the rarity, the provenance, it all adds up to a true collector\u2019s dream. To me, personally, this isn\u2019t the football that was used to score the touchdown at the Super Bowl… it\u2019s like owning the stadium the game was played in. This is something Senna physically sat in and commanded across eight Grand Prix weekends, and that makes it profoundly special.\u201d<\/p>\n

This particular 98T is one of just four competition cars built for the season, and is the very machine that propelled Senna to those victories. For that reason, it should not come as a surprise to see an estimated price reaching into the eight-figure zone. Even if the car sells for or above the high estimate of $12,500,000, we likely won\u2019t hear about it, as this is a sealed auction. Here\u2019s hoping the next owner isn\u2019t afraid to let the car out of the stable sometimes, even if it’s just as a display at historic events.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here’s Your Chance To Buy a Senna Turbo F1 Car Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s Given the controversy surrounding…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":501881,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[54988,49,48,72753,578,576,577,200520,200519,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-501880","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-ayrton-senna","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-debut-season","12":"tag-f1","13":"tag-formula-1","14":"tag-formula1","15":"tag-rm-sotheby","16":"tag-rm-sothebys","17":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=501880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/501881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}