We are not making this up: The car key costs €9,999 ($11,000), and that’s a bargain compared with the $550,000 gold-and-diamond-encrusted vehicle starting device created by Awain Ltd.
Awain, self-proclaimed “manufacturer of the world’s finest car keys,” based in Helsinki, Finland, and with an office in Dubai, has partnered with Formula One and Le Mans racer Mika Salo to launch the Salo-themed supercar key Grand Prix Collection.
The keys are available in Monaco, Spa and Suzuka designs, each inspired by the livery of Salo’s racing helmet and handcrafted from titanium and incorporate “the finest racing leathers.”
Only 20 examples of each model will be produced, the company said.
“A high-tech luxury key requires a high-tech process – and no corners were cut in Awain’s advanced design process, ensuring that the final result performs at the same precision level as an F1 instrument,” the company said in its announcement. “
“In keeping with the cutting-edge spirit of Formula One racing, the designers selected only the most lightweight and advanced materials and processes for the manufacturing of these exclusive keys. Materials such as high modulus carbon fiber and aerospace grade titanium are used to guarantee the ultimate performance experience for every new Awain owner.”
If you want your key to be even more special, Awain will offer an opportunity to customize a key “with an actual F1 engine part,” incorporating “an authentic F1 valve plate on the key’s back.”
“Even outside of racing, I’m a big car enthusiast and I’ve been lucky to drive a lot of fancy cars in my life,” Salo is quoted in the news release. “I have often wondered why the car keys for even very luxurious cars are cheap-looking and usually made from plastic – in other words, they don’t match their car at all.
“When I saw my first Awain key, I immediately realized that this is what the key of a true supercar should have always looked like. The amount of craftsmanship and eye for detail in each custom-crafted Awain key is simply amazing. And of course, it’s an honor to now have a collection that commemorates the highlights of my own racing career.”
Awain Ltd. was founded in 2018 and its products have included the Phantom, a one-of-a-kind piece inlaid with 34.5 Carats of diamonds set in 175 grams of gold.
According to Awain, its keys are designed to work with luxury and high-performance vehicles from the likes of Aston Martin, Bentley, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Rolls-Royce, among others.
Some people have more dollars than sense. 🙄
Gee, Mika- ’bout how many people for how long could have clean water and be fed for the price of one of these "luxury keys"?
Just sayin’.