Lewis Hamilton purchased his one-off Pagani Zonda 760 LH back in 2014 for £1.6 million. The LH stood for his initials, the purple exterior matched his personality, and it was the first Zonda 760 ever built with a manual gearbox because Hamilton specifically requested it. The 7.3 liter naturally aspirated V12 engine sourced from Mercedes-AMG came mated to that six-speed manual, a move that came at the request of the world champion himself. This was a bespoke hypercar built for one of the most successful F1 drivers in history. What could go wrong?
The Monaco Crash - Heavy Partying Edition
In November 2015, Hamilton crashed the Zonda in Monaco, with a witness hearing a car coming down the hill, then hearing it lock up under braking, followed by a loud bang at around 3:30 am. Hamilton later admitted the crash was a result of heavy partying and not much rest for 10 days, explaining he was a bit run down after organizing his mum's 60th birthday party and being exhausted by the end of it.
Mercedes initially said Hamilton would arrive late in Brazil for that weekend's Grand Prix due to a small fever, but the truth was he'd crashed the Pagani into a stationary car in Monaco. Nobody was hurt, which Hamilton emphasized on Instagram, but the damage was done. The car that cost £1.6 million had just been introduced to Monaco's infrastructure at 3:30 in the morning.
"Terrible to Drive"
In 2018, Hamilton told The Sunday Times that the Zonda was terrible to drive, adding it's the best-sounding car I own, but handling-wise it's the worst. Think about that. A £1.6 million hypercar, custom built to your specifications, with a manual gearbox you specifically requested, and it handles worse than everything else in your collection. Hamilton covered less than 1,000 kilometers in seven years of ownership. That's not enthusiasm. That's a car sitting in a Monaco garage being admired for its exhaust note while its owner drives literally anything else.
£7 Million Profit
In 2021, Hamilton sold the Zonda to an unnamed UK buyer for £8.5 million, marking a significant premium over the original price and netting him roughly £7 million profit. The car allegedly had less than 1,000 km on the odometer when it changed hands. Seven years of ownership, one crash, constant complaints about handling, under 1,000 kilometers driven, and he still made £7 million. That's not depreciation. That's investing in rolling art that happens to have a V12.
Hamilton sold the car shortly after telling reporters he no longer cruised around in the supercars from his collection due to his ethical beliefs, saying in 2020 that he was trying to be more environmentally friendly and only drove his electric Mercedes EQC. So he ditched the terrible handling V12 hypercar for environmental reasons, not because it nearly put him into a Monaco taxi. Both things can be true.
Crash Number Two
In August 2023, the new UK owner crashed Hamilton's former Zonda in the Penmaenbach tunnel in Conwy, Wales. According to reports, the driver lost control of the rear after accelerating into the tunnel, resulting in a spin that left the car with knackered bodywork, a broken rear axle, a cracked windshield, and missing lights. The owner walked away without physical harm, but the same couldn't be said for the car.
Dashcam footage captured the whole thing. One moment the purple Pagani is accelerating through the tunnel. The next it's spinning sideways into the wall. The same car Hamilton crashed in Monaco, now crashed again in Wales. At least Hamilton hit stationary objects at low speed. The new owner managed to bin it properly in a tunnel at speed. That's commitment to continuing a tradition.
The car has since been restored to its former glory. Because when you've paid £8.5 million for a hypercar previously owned by Lewis Hamilton, you don't write it off over some tunnel wall contact and a broken axle. You fix it, regardless of cost, because the alternative is admitting you destroyed one of the rarest Zondas ever built.
Current Value Over £10 Million
If Hamilton had kept the car to today, it would be worth over £10 million. He bought it for £1.6 million. Crashed it. Hated driving it. Sold it for £8.5 million. And it's now worth even more despite being crashed twice in eight years. The math makes no sense until you remember this is a one-off Pagani Zonda with a manual gearbox, purple everything, and provenance that includes being owned and crashed by a seven-time F1 world champion.
Pagani built just five Zonda 760s total. Hamilton's was the only one with a manual. The rarity alone drives value, but add Hamilton's ownership, the bespoke purple specification, and a story involving Monaco party crashes and Welsh tunnel walls, and you've got a hypercar that appreciates faster than almost anything else on four wheels.
The takeaway is that sometimes you can buy a car, crash it, complain about it for years, sell it at massive profit, watch someone else crash it, and still come out ahead because you accidentally bought one of the most desirable modern hypercars ever created.
