Former Formula One champion Nigel Mansell has made a staggering £2 million by selling a treasure trove of memorabilia from his illustrious F1 career. The sale, which took place on October 11th, saw 148 items from his private collection go under the hammer, surpassing expectations by nearly £450,000.
In total, Mansell put 326 pieces up for auction, with 178 finding new owners on October 10th, bringing in £1,313,560 and an additional £750,630 on the following day. The anticipated sales were initially estimated at £1.62 million, but fans’ fervour drove the total well beyond that.
Among the standout items sold on the second day of the auction was a Prancing Horse trophy, presented to Mansell in 1990 after two years racing for Ferrari, which fetched an impressive £28,800. A scale model replica of his iconic red Ferrari from 1989, measuring 5.90 meters in length and 1.17 meters in width, was acquired for £7,200. An Indianapolis 500 qualifying card from 1993 went for £5,760.
The most coveted piece of memorabilia in the collection was Mansell’s helmet from his first Formula One victory. This Canon Williams Honda European Grand Prix’ First Win’ helmet sold for a remarkable £68,400. His personalized ‘5 NM’ registration plates, featuring his car number and initials, fetched £50,400, slightly below the £60,000 estimate.
Other remarkable sales included his gold first-place trophy from the 1992 French Grand Prix, which sold for £25,200, and a 72cc motorbike he used backstage, purchased for £24,000. The 1988 Honda ST-70 Formula 1 Paddock bike, described as a fun-sized Honda that accompanied Mansell on the Formula 1 circuit from 1988 to 1994, found a new owner.
Items of racing attire from his F1 championship-winning season in 1992, including the Canon Williams Renault Sparco Formula 1 Race Suit with boots and gloves, sold for £21,600. There were also surprising sales of unique items such as a Wayne Type 1420 Nigel Mansell 1992 Livery Petrol Pump, which fetched £15,600, exceeding its expected price of £3,000.
Another notable item was an MP4/9 Formula 1 Steering Wheel from his 1994 car after switching to McLaren, which sold for £9,600. A framed time chart displaying race data from “The Ultimate Lap” at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, considered the finest qualifying lap in F1 history, was signed by Paddy Lowe, the Chief Technical Officer at Williams Racing, and sold for £8,400. A 165cm by 86cm painting by Michael Turner, depicting Mansell in action at the 1988 German Grand Prix, fetched £4,200.
All these items were part of the RM Sotheby’s Nigel Mansell’s Legacy Collection. They had been on display in his museum in Jersey. Nigel Mansell expressed his sentiment: “The collection is hugely personal to me, representing the entirety of my career and all the items of clothing I have worn during my racing career. It is the material manifestation of the most significant moments of my career, from my teenage years to the end of my racing career.”
A spokesperson from Sotheby’s commented, “The collection spans his entire racing career, from karting through the lower formulas, Formula One, IndyCar, British Touring Cars, and GP Masters. Housed for many years in his museum on the island of Jersey, the collection is being offered directly from Nigel Mansell’s long-term ownership.”
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