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Sebastian Vettel has put his Nissan GT-R Black Edition, which he bought in 2012, up for sale for $265,000.
The former Red Bull driver had bought the car in 2012 during the memorable title fight against Fernando Alonso. Following his F1 retirement last year, the German has decided to get rid of the old car, the one he barely drove for 150km.
According to the GT-R's online listing that priced it at $265,000, the car is visually and technically an absolutely new vehicle. It presents a unique opportunity for car collectors, especially, as the owner of the car is Vettel, a four-time F1 world champion.
The Black edition goes beyond the standard R35 Nissan GT-R of the time. It has a lot of additional features, including smart red-on-black Recaro racing seats, a carbon fiber spoiler and 20-inch alloy wheels from Rays.
Moreover, the fact that it's owned by a multiple F1 world champion is going to add to the hefty price tag of the car. Under the bonnet, the GT-R boasts a 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 engine, which pumps out 545bhp and can get from 0-60 in only 2.7 seconds.
This is not the first time Vettel has sold one of his cars. In 2021, after he left Ferrari, the German put eight of his cars from his private collection up for sale. That included several Ferrari models, such as 2016 LaFerrari, 2004 Enzo, 1996 F50 and 2015 458.
A collector of classic cars himself, Vettel bought Nigel Mansell's 1992 F1 championship-winning Williams FW14B, with the iconic 'Red 5' on the nose. During the 2022 British GP race weekend, he took the car around the circuit on synthetic fuel as a demonstration of what could be done in the future.
Sebastian Vettel was juggernaut in his early days - Mark Webber
Vettel's former teammate Mark Webber reckons the German retired a year too early, as he still had it in him to continue for a while.
In a recent interview, terming Vettel a juggernaut in his early days, Webber said that the German will be missed in the sport. He said:
"I think (he retired) maybe a sneak early. I think he still drives very, very well. I told him, 'I think that you got this a bit early', so we've had a bit of a laugh about that. But I'm stoked he's in one piece; he's had a great career. He was a juggernaut obviously in the early days and, on his day he could still do some special stuff. (Being a) four-time world champion (is) not to be sneezed at, and he'll be missed."
Sebastian Vettel ended his career as one of the five most successful drivers in F1.
