Photos: Senna’s legendary race-winning Lotus F1 car with 12,500-rpm engine up for grabs

The Lotus 98T, driven by Ayrton Senna during the 1986 Formula One season, is widely regarded as one of the most iconic and technically advanced cars of its era. Constructed with a one-piece integral unified moulding chassis designed by Gérard Ducarouge, it combined carbon fiber and aluminum composites to create a smaller, lighter, and lower tub than its predecessor. Powered by the Renault EF15bis V-6 engine featuring a pioneering pneumatic valvetrain system, the car could reach 12,500 rpm and produce 900 brake-horsepower in race trim. This engine technology, along with an electronic engine management system and onboard computer, allowed precise fuel consumption monitoring under the strict 195-liter fuel limit imposed in 1986. The 98T’s qualifying setup pushed the car to extreme performance levels, using a special engine variant with water injection and no waste gates to maximize turbo boost, generating power outputs beyond the measurement capabilities of the time. This intense boost