Lewis Hamilton's U-turn on £1.6m supercar he made huge profit on before costly crash
Lewis Hamilton's 2025 Formula 1 season has been a mixed bag so far, with the seven-time world champion showing flashes of his old brilliance but struggling for consistency at Ferrari following his blockbuster move from Mercedes.
Off the track, though, Hamilton remains a man of principle, known for his staunch commitment to environmentalism and social causes. It's this very ethos that led him to part ways with one of his most prized possessions - a custom Pagani Zonda 760 LH - only to see it smashed up by its new owner after he pocketed a massive profit.
The one-of-a-kind supercar, which was built to Hamilton's exact specifications in 2014, was a beast of a machine. Powered by a monstrous 7.3-litre V12 engine pumping out 760 horsepower, it featured a striking purple livery with carbon fibre accents and a rare six-speed manual transmission - Hamilton's personal request, making it the first Zonda 760 to ditch the automatic.
Costing him around £1.6million, the car was the jewel in his £12.5m supercar collection. But despite its jaw-dropping looks and sound, Hamilton wasn't entirely smitten, once slamming its handling as "terrible."
By 2021, Hamilton's growing environmental consciousness, spurred by his efforts to reduce his carbon footprint, forced a tough call. Speaking at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix, he revealed he'd stopped driving his supercars, opting instead for his electric Mercedes EQC.
"I'm making a lot of changes in my personal life," he said. "I don't drive any of the cars that I own any more. I only drive my [electric Mercedes] EQC."
The Zonda, a gas-guzzling icon, no longer fit in with his green philosophy. So, he sold it. And he didn't do badly out of it either. The car fetched a staggering £8.5m, landing Hamilton a tidy £6.9m profit.
Tragically, the Zonda's story took a grim turn in 2023 when its new, unnamed owner lost control in the Penmaenbach Tunnel in Conwy, Wales - crashing it into the wall. Photos shared online showed the car in a sorry state, with a smashed front clamshell, broken suspension, and damaged doors, windshield, and rear bumper, making for a costly repair job.
Miraculously, the driver walked away unharmed, and no other vehicles were involved. The crash wasn't the Zonda's first brush with disaster either - Hamilton himself had pranged it in Monaco in 2015, blaming a fever and lack of sleep after clipping three stationary cars.
Thankfully, the Zonda has since been lovingly restored to its former glory, being spotted leaving Pagani's factory for a pre-delivery test run last September. Its metallic purple paint and bare carbon centre are back, though the LED DRLs, once deemed out of place, have been ditched.
One of just five Zonda 760s ever built, it's a testament to both Pagani's craftsmanship and Hamilton's knack for making savvy decisions, both on and off the track. The 40-year-old is yet to make the podium for Ferrari, with his best results being fourth-place finishes at Imola, Silverstone and the Austrian Grand Prix this year.
He's currently sixth in the Drivers' Championship, trailing leader Oscar Piastri by over 150 points. He's also 30 points behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc and just once place ahead of Kimi Antonelli - the young driver who replaced him at Mercedes. Up next is the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, a race Hamilton has won a record eight times, though not since 2020.
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Times
7 hours ago
- Times
First-class suites for Formula 1 fun
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Auto Blog
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The Only Factory White Ferrari 250 GTO Is Headed to the Auction Block
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The Sun
15 hours ago
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Britain's 9 WORST selling cars revealed – including £80k Fast and Furious-inspired motor & ‘king of weird' retro classic
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