With multi-million dollar contracts and sponsorship agreements, Formula 1 drivers are among the best-paid athletes in the world. To put it mildly, the figures are just staggering. During his prime, Michael Schumacher, widely considered the sport's greatest driver of all time, was consistently listed by Forbes as one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. Because of this, one may imagine that a special edition car bearing the name of a Formula 1 driver would be a sleek and powerful sports car. Some car companies have even tried to capitalise on the F1 driver's fame to sell more of their products. As a result, it's not unusual to see regular automobiles obtain a special edition with a name inspired by a famous F1 driver, although the alterations are usually limited to the exterior. Listed below are a few special edition cars that bear the names of F1 drivers with average performance.
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Fiat Seicento Schumacher Sporting
The legendary German racer is the only F1 competitor to have two vehicles bear his name. In 2001, Fiat released a special edition Fiat Seicento Sporting to honour Michael Schumacher's Formula One world title. Aside from a chrome gearshift surround, a Schumacher signature decal, and a number on the passenger door, this trim level differs little from the 'Sporting' level. Amazingly, not even the 1.1-litre engine from the regular Seicento was changed or tweaked and developed the same 54bhp output.
Mercedes-Benz A160 Edition Häkkinen
To celebrate its Formula One driver, Mika Häkkinen, Mercedes unveiled a limited-edition run of 125 A-Class W168s at the 1998 Essen Motor Show. The Häkkinen Edition of the McLaren-Mercedes sports a custom livery that was airbrushed by hand and features red highlights on the silver exterior, as well as the driver's name and the flag of the driver's nation on the front doors. Mercedes's Edition Häkkinen was supplied with the A-Class's standard engine range which is a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol engine that produces just 101bhp and 150Nm of torque. The power is sent to the front wheels using a five-speed manual gearbox.
Chevrolet Celta Piquet
Nelson Piquet, a three-time Formula One World Champion, is widely regarded as one of the sport's all-time best drivers. Piquet won as many as 23 races throughout his 13-year career (1978-1991). The Chevrolet Celta Piquet, or Suzuki Fun in Argentina, was a model built exclusively for the Latin American market. It boasts 70bhp from a 1.0-litre engine and some sporty styling cues.
Alfa Romeo Niki Lauda
After almost dying in a collision in the 1976 Nürburgring Grand Prix, Niki Lauda came back strong to win three world championships and 25 races out of 171 attempts. However, none of his former team's vehicles bear his name, and instead, a 1978 Alfa Romeo Spider does. Power output stands at 110 bhp.
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Fiat Stilo Schumacher
The Schumacher name is on yet another Fiat. The limited-edition Stilo came with a redesigned exterior and a powerful 2.4-litre engine that produced 170bhp. The MS emblems were prominently displayed, and a Schumacher GP variant with even more aggressive modifications was also available. A total of just 200 right-hand-drive versions were manufactured.
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