Lewis Hamilton still owns the 35-year-old RC car that started his racing journey
Published on Jan 25, 2026 at 2:14 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Jan 22, 2026 at 10:25 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
Lewis Hamilton’s racing journey didn’t start with a kart.
It actually started with a remote-controlled car that dates back to 1990, when he was five years old.
It was recently shared by his father in a photo posted online.
And it offers a rare look at how early Hamilton’s competitive story really began.
DISCOVER SBX CARS – The global premium auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
The RC car Lewis Hamilton still owns from 1990
The car was shared in an Instagram post by his father, Anthony Hamilton, who wrote that he keeps it in his home office and looks at it every day.
According to Anthony, the RC car dates back to 1990, and marks the very start of what would become his racing career.
Anthony also pointed out a broken wheel on the car, explaining that this moment led him to buy Lewis a bigger remote-controlled car.
That step, he said, was when ‘the real story began’.
Lewis later reinforced that timeline himself, sharing that by age six he was already competing in RC car racing championships.
In 1991, he earned two trophies – one for second place in the electric class and another for best newcomer in petrol-powered cars – racing against adults.
What gives the car its weight isn’t what Lewis went on to win, but how clearly it captures the very first hours spent racing alongside his dad.
Click the star icon next to supercarblondie.com in Google Search to stay ahead of the curve on the latest and greatest supercars, hypercars, and ground-breaking technology
Celebrities who never let go of their early cars
Hamilton isn’t the only high-profile figure who’s held onto a vehicle long after fame arrived.
Jennifer Lopez still owns the one-off copper Jeep Wrangler custom-built for her by West Coast Customs back in 2013 – a bespoke build that stayed with her even as her garage evolved.
At the other end of the spectrum is Conan O’Brien, who never gave up his famously ordinary 1992 Ford Taurus SHO.
The car became a long-running joke, but he’s since said he plans to restore it rather than move on.
And outside entertainment entirely, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi drove the same 1991 twin-turbo Toyota Supra for more than 20 years.
She even kept it long enough for it to end up preserved in a museum, still in her name.
In all three cases, the value isn’t in rarity or price.
It’s in continuity.
For Hamilton, that continuity starts with a small RC car from 1990 – worn, imperfect, and still very much part of the story that followed.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
With roles at TEXT Journal, Bowen Street Press, Onya Magazine, and Swine Magazine on her CV, Molly joined Supercar Blondie in June 2025 as a Junior Content Writer. Having experience across copyediting, proofreading, reference checking, and production, she brings accuracy, clarity, and audience focus to her stories spanning automotive, tech, and lifestyle news.
