F1 legend flogging personal memorabilia including £60k item and iconic trophies

15 September 2023 , 21:46

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Former F1 world champion Nigel Mansell (Image: PA)

Former Formula One world champion Nigel Mansell is selling off over 300 pieces of "hugely personal" memorabilia from his career.

Mansell previously displayed the items in his own museum in Jersey before that was closed in 2019 to make room for an expanding car dealership in partnership with Mitsubishi and Hyundai.

However, the car sales part of the business closed earlier this year and the 70-year-old has now decided to auction off a wealth of racing memorabilia, including 32 helmets, 78 baseball caps, 50 race suits and over 200 trophies and awards.

In total, 326 lots have been listed as part of an online auction run by RM Sotheby's titled 'Nigel Mansell's Legacy Collection' which is set to take place between October 4-11. "The collection is hugely personal to me," Mansell said.

"It represents the entirety of my career and is the vast majority of the items of clothing I have worn during my racing career. It is, in short, the material manifestation of the most significant moments of my career and it represents everything that I worked for from my teenage years through to the end of my racing career.

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"I would only entrust my collection to RM Sotheby's, as this is one of the most intensely personal collections of motorsport items that have been offered to the market."

Mansell is auctioning off a host of memorabilia previously displayed in his museum (RM Sotheby's)

Mansell's '5 NM' number plate is expected to fetch the most money, with Sotheby's valuing it at up to £60,000. The Williams Arai helmet he wore for his final F1 win is valued at up £50,000, while a bespoke 2020 BMW R18 'II Leone Edition' motorbike could fetch £40,000.

24 different F1 winners trophies are valued at up to £10,000, while a signed seat from Mansell's 1989 Ferrari F1 640 car is expected to go for £5,000. A collection of 37 miscellaneous F1 and IndyCar baseball caps and a Nigel Mansell IndyCar crochet doll are both valued at around £100.

326 lots have been listed as part of an online auction (RM Sotheby's)

"It has been an amazing and emotional decision for me, but I cannot think of a better home for my legacy than back with the fans, who gave me their unprecedented support throughout my career," Mansell added on social media of the auction.

"The legacy will live on through them." Fans can register to bid on the items on Sotherby's website, with bidding opening on October 4 at 4pm British Standard Time.

Matthew Cooper