Vehicle auctions usually make headlines for automobiles sold for ridiculous amounts of money, for being very rare or very famous. At the very least, they must have been owned at some point by a rock star, an F1 driver or some other kind of celebrity in order to attract attention.
Can you imagine a bus making it in that list? Probably not unless of course, we’re talking about an original Iveco Domino Ferrari Formula 1 driver’s coach that will hit the auction block on October 26 by RM Auctions.
What makes the Iveco coach even more special is that is was used by Scuderia Ferrari during the Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichelo era from 2001 to 2005. As befitting the seven times Formula 1 world champion, it was highly customized.
The bus is powered by an Iveco engine, has a ZF eight-speed gearbox with electronic selector, air suspension, hydraulic shock absorbers and antiroll bars, and the odometer reads 85,000 km (52,800 miles). Needless to say, it was serviced meticulously.
The coach was used for meetings and interviews, has two independent access doors from the front and the rear and is separated in two compartments, each with a living room, mini-bar, 15×18-inch LCD TV, and satellite telephone and internet capabilities. And for those moments when Scuderia’s drivers needed some relaxation, each compartment has a physiotherapy bed and table.
Its current owner acquired it in 2009 but found it lacking in the equipment department (!). As a result, these upgrades were performed: £44,290 (US$68,906) for a motorhome conversion, £4,112 (US$6,397) for an Intastat TV/internet/satellite system, £1,900 (US$2,95) for two Panasonic TV sets, £2,000 (US$3,111) for a home theater system by Bose, £5,520 (US$8,58) for a bed and some small change (£2,000/US$3,111) in various accessories.
If you have £200,000-300,000 (US$311,000-$466,00) laying around and want to experience the life of a Formula 1 champion before and after each race, here’s your chance.
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