Wednesday, June 20, 2007

A la Kart

Lewis Hamilton's McLaren go-kart has sold for £42,100 on eBay - £40,000 more than its face value.

The McLaren go-kart was snapped up after a fierce bidding war sparked by Hamilton's second Formula One win at the Indianapolis grand prix last weekend.

The racing champion sold the £2,000 customised kart, which can reach speeds upwards of 80mph, to raise money for charity, and has said that he will also meet the winner before they drive off in the kart.

Bids for the 22bhp kart had been hovering around £5,000 before Sunday's race, but hours after Hamilton won his second race in a row, they zoomed up to £16,000.

And they rocketed to over £40,000 by the close of the auction this afternoon.

The winner, using the sign in name garym4598, beat off 88 competitors with his bid of £42,100.

Describing the kart, Hamilton wrote: "It’s brand new, with only one careful owner, and this kart was customised for me by Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. It’s pretty fast . . . just how I like it! For anyone who aspires to be a Formula 1 driver one day . . . this is for you! Not only will you win this go-kart, but you’ll have the chance of meeting me at the launch of Vodafone Mobile Internet on 21st June in London and I’ll give you a few tips on handling this beast!

2 comments:

Dx said...

I didn't even know my wife was bidding.

dom said...

Well lets hope Lewis wins the championships, you can the re-sell the Kart for £42,150 ... a tidy fifty quid profit :)