A PROST Formula 1 car driven by Olivier Panis in the 1999 Australian Grand Prix is set to be one of the banner head items at a major auction in Monaco in May.
The Prost AP02 chassis number 03 was driven by Panis in the first four races of the 1999 World Championship, including the season-opener at Albert Park where it lasted 23 laps before retiring with a stuck wheel nut.
The Frenchman drove the Peugeot V10-powered Prost in the next three races – the Brazilian (where he finished sixth and scored a critical World Championship point), San Marino and Monaco Grands Prix – before the car moved to become a spare chassis for the team.
It then became a display car and was sold in 2021 as a rolling chassis, but with a gearbox and Peugeot A18 V10 engine as part of its spares package.
The car was entrusted to LRS Formula based at Magny-Cours – the former home of the French GP – and restored over the next two years.
The electronics and associated systems were built new by ORECA, a new fuel tank was fitted and a new gearbox built using original parts. All the new parts needed for the car were from stock of original Prost Grand Prix components.
But the best part of this car?
Rather than being a static display or incomplete car, it’s a full runner and ready for immediate use!
The car will be auctioned in Monaco on Saturday May 11 as part of an RM Sotheby’s auction with an advertised price range of 700,000 to 1 million Euros ($1.15 to $1.64 million Aussie dollars).
We’ll get saving in the meantime …
Check out this video on the RM Sotheby’s site to hear the V10 Pug scream!
