Among the automobiles up for purchase at the Gooding & Company collector car auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., this month is an Indy car that offers the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become part of the acclaimed Andretti Autosport race team.
A unique auction will deliver to the winning bidder the Dallara IR-12 Verizon IndyCar Series chassis that Ryan Hunter-Reay drove to a dramatic win at the 2014 Indianapolis 500 and will continue to be used by the team for the foreseeable future.
“I’m excited to team up with Gooding & Company on this really unique collaboration,” said Michael Andretti, president, chairman and CEO of Andretti Autosport. “The opportunity to auction off our 2014 Indy 500-winning – and still active – race car and provide the winning bidder with an immersive ownership experience with our team delivers a great way to celebrate an iconic moment in our team’s history as we prepare for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
“Indy car racing has always pushed the envelope when it comes to innovation and we feel this is the next step of doing the same off of the track.”
In addition to its Indy 500-winning heritage, the car – which the team hopes to use through 2018 before retiring it, repairing it and restoring it to its 2014 winning condition – served as Hunter-Reay’s oval track car during his 2012 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Hunter-Reay has won three other series races with the car.
Andretti Autosport will provide the buyer with two season-long VIP credentials and team hospitality passes granting gate, garage and limited pit access for each Verizon IndyCar Series race event held through the 2018 season, including the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in May. The package will also include four single-event VIP guest credentials and team hospitality passes at each of the series races that Andretti Autosport competes in through 2018, with additional options available for the Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Indianapolis 500.
“Millions of fans around the world witnessed a legendary finish in 2014 as Ryan claimed victory and became the first American in eight years to win the Indy 500,” said J. Douglas Boles, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “The chance to own Ryan’s winning car, an iconic piece of racing history, is a priceless opportunity and offering the car at the Gooding & Company auction is a fantastic way to build excitement for INDYCAR’s return to Phoenix International Raceway on April 2 and to help count down toward the 2016 INDYCAR season and the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500.”
The car will be on display beginning Jan. 27 at the Gooding & Company viewing marquee at Scottsdale Fashion Square, with the auction running Jan. 29-30. The display will also feature the iconic Borg-Warner Trophy as it makes a tour of the southwestern United States in advance of the Verizon IndyCar Series' return to Arizona for the Phoenix Grand Prix on April 2, as well as the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 29.