via Reuters

Lewis Hamilton has collected a lot of stuff in his life. Just look at the number of winners’ trophies he has. But who would have thought that a kid born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, into a working-class family would go on to become one of the most successful drivers in the history of Formula 1? It all began with his fateful meeting at just 10 years old with the then-McLaren team principal, Ron Dennis. In the recent issue of Wall Street Italia magazine, Hamilton revealed that he has collected most of the memorable stuff from his childhood, but there is one item in his collection that he cherishes more than anything.

Being an Ayrton Senna fan through and through, Lewis Hamilton always dreamed of piloting the McLaren F1 car as a kid. When he got the chance to meet the man who could one day get him into a McLaren, he seized the opportunity and expressed his desire to Ron Dennis that one day he would like to drive for the McLaren F1 team.

Lewis Hamilton still has the piece of paper that kicked off his journey to F1 glory

The story of Hamilton’s childhood meeting with Ron Dennis started after he won the British Karting Championship at the tender age of 10, earning him an invite to the award ceremony. His father, Anthony Hamilton, took him to a Formula 1 Q&A session following the ceremony. Anthony had given little Lewis a small booklet on which he could get the autographs and contact details of the people he met during the session.

As a 10-year-old, Lewis Hamilton had no idea who to approach, so he thought he would just ask everybody for their autograph. After a while, when Anthony pointed Hamilton toward Ron Dennis, he immediately recognized Dennis as someone who could help fulfill his dream of driving a McLaren like his hero, Ayrton Senna.

With the unfiltered enthusiasm of a young boy, Hamilton approached Dennis and told him his dream of driving for McLaren. Impressed by the grit of a young Lewis Hamilton, Dennis not only gave him his autograph but also penned a note that Lewis considers to be the most precious thing he has from his childhood.

Speaking about his desire to one day frame that note from Ron Dennis, Hamilton said, as per the WSI magazine, “The most precious one is certainty: the paper with Ron Dennis’ signature on which he wrote to me. Call me in nine years. I would like to frame it; it would be a beautiful work of art.“

Fast forward to the present day and Lewis has achieved almost everything that there is to achieve in Formula 1. He went from collecting memorable items to collecting supercars in 28 years since he first met Dennis.

Inside Hamilton’s impressive car collection

According to a 2023 report from Car Throttle, the 38-year-old British driver has an impressive car collection worth £13 million. Most of his car collection resides in the garages in Monaco and Los Angeles. What’s noteworthy is that ever since Hamilton started living a more environmentally conscious lifestyle, he has stopped driving most of his cars and prefers to drive his electric Mercedes EQC.

Among his famous car collection are two Ferrari LaFerrari mild hybrid models made by the Italian manufacturer. He also has a custom-built Pagani Zonda 760 LH, a purple-colored car that was made for Lewis Hamilton specifically. With a significant connection with McLaren since childhood, Hamilton also owns a McLaren P1 worth £1.15 million. When it comes to classics, Hamilton has the iconic 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra for which he approached Carroll Shelby himself. He also has a 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.

Having driven for Mercedes for so long, he has quite a few cars from the German manufacturer. He owns a Mercedes-AMG Project One, a one-of-a-kind plug-in hybrid machine offered by Mercedes. Hamilton also owns a Mercedes-AMG SLS Black, a white AMG GT R, an AMG G63 6×6 off-roading truck, and a Maybach S600 with a 6-liter V12 engine.

For a guy who mostly drives his electric Mercedes EQC, Hamilton sure has held on to his impressive car collection.