You won’t believe it.
A 1998 Mercedes E55AMG wagon, originally owned by Formula One legend Michael Schumacher, has been put up for sale by a Berlin dealer. This is a great example with many options, including voice-operated satellite navigation and sunroof. It shows 198,000 km (123,000 miles) on its odometer, and has a complete service history. It also has some Ferrari decals on its center console, which is quite amusing considering that this was Schumacher’s third season driving the Scuderia. We now come to the important matter of the asking cost. It’s astonishing at EUR119,950 ($133 025). This is more than 10 times the price of any other E55 wagon with a similar specification and mileage, even without the celebrity connection. Although cars with celebrity ownership histories are sure to command a premium price, it seems excessively high. Collectors are only willing to pay orders of magnitudes more than the market value for cars owned by stars beyond their particular sphere, such as Steve McQueen. Michael Schumacher, all-time great as he is is not one of those icons. It helps if the car is collectible. It seems that the dealer is just trying to make a buck off the price. Why not? The value of a Schumacher collectible is what it will be worth, so everyone returns home happy. It’s likely that the dealer didn’t purchase it for more than the market value, so it’s a win for everyone.
