Back in May, Williams F1 announced they would let fans decide on a special Gulf livery to be run on the FW45 at three races during the season. Now, after the fans have voted and the livery has already been run at one of the three races, it was announced that a replica of the car will be offered up for auction through F1 Authentics.
The winning livery adorning the car, called “Bolder Than Bold”, was one of four choices that fans were able to choose from back when the voting took place. Featuring a modern take on the classic blue with orange striping, it’s said to represent “the boldness of those determined to make their mark, keep progressing and pushing boundaries.” The livery has already been run on the FW45 at last week’s race in Singapore, and will continue to make appearances at the races in Japan and Qatar before the team returns to their normal paint job for the U.S. GP.
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The replica car, which will be built by Memento Exclusives, is unfortunately (yet unsurprisingly) a non-running show car, but it should still be dimensionally accurate to the real deal. In addition to the show car itself, the winning bidder will also receive an exclusive handover experience. This begins with the pickup, which will take place at Williams HQ and include a full tour of the factory.
On top of that, the lucky owner will also be gifted a visit to the ROFGO collection, an extensive assortment of some of the most successful cars in motorsport. And because this collection was curated in partnership with Gulf, almost every one of these cars proudly wears the iconic blue and orange in some form or another.
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Regarding the collaboration, Barry Gough, CEO & Founder of Memento Exclusives and F1 Authentics said: “Welcoming Williams Racing – a team with an incredible history in F1 – to our portfolio of partners is another milestone in the incredible recent growth of our company. Memento Exclusives now boast not only licenses with F1, MotoGP and UFC but also contracts of varying levels with 9 of the 10 F1 teams. To be able to kick start our relationship with our 9th F1 team partner, Williams Racing, with a limited-edition, one-off Show Car and accompanying ‘not seen before’ added items and ‘moments’, celebrating the team’s partner Gulf, is the perfect representation of what we aim to offer collectors in the future, as we continue working with the team to bring passionate motorsport enthusiasts closer to the sport.”
At the time of writing, bidding for the show car has reached £81,000 ($100,246). The auction can be accessed here, and will be open until October 10 at 9 pm BST (4 am EST).
