As the F1 new season, which has been gaining popularity in recent years, enters the final countdown week, what fans need to pay attention to is not only the final preparations made by major teams for the “big change” season, but also the following news may excite many fans, especially veteran fans. Leading auction house Sotheby’s RM Sotheby’s automotive department recently surprised announced that they will bring 5 cars from former F1 world champion and British driver Nigel Mansell’s private collection, including the FW14 war tank used by the Williams team in 1991.
According to RM Sotheby’s data, the 5 lots presented this time are all directly provided by Nigel Mansell himself. Previously, these cars have been managed by Nigel Mansell himself and stored in his private museum in New Jersey, USA for display. The auction will take place at the Monaco auction on May 14, coinciding with the Monocao GP event held the same week. This time, he will auction off his 5 private collections. According to Sotheby’s, the 1992 F1 world champion believes that he has owned these collections for a long time – especially four of them for over 30 years – so it is time to give these treasures a new life.
In terms of valuation, the total estimated value of the five collections ranges from a minimum of 4.1 million euros to a maximum of 8.2 million euros. It is worth mentioning that, in addition to directly selling race cars this time, Nigel Mansell also took the initiative to offer to meet with each buyer personally, providing some storage or usage advice for these “new car owners.” As for which five collections are up for auction this time? Let’s take a look below.
1991 Williams FW14-5
Designed by F1 car design master Adrian Newey, incorporating highly advanced aerodynamics at the time, innovative active suspension, and Williams team’s first sequential semi-automatic gearbox, along with the “Five Elements” – chassis number 5, ‘Red 5’ emblem, and 5 victories – making this tank that achieved consecutive victories in the 1991 season in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, one of the most historically valuable F1 masterpieces in F1 history. This time, RM Sotheby’s even shared the scene of Nigel Mansell providing a “lift” to the “car god” Ayrton Senna in the last lap at Silverstone, after he was forced to stop due to running out of fuel for the 58th time. RM Sotheby’s also estimates that this car could sell for 1.5 to 3 million euros.
1989 Ferrari 640 Chassis 109
Friends who know Nigel Mansell will definitely mention his strength in the Williams team, but they will never forget his time at the Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari team.
Nigel Mansell moved to Ferrari in 1988 to replace Michele Alboreto, driving the Ferrari 640 for the team in 1989 to achieve third place, finishing the season in fourth place. His nickname “Il Leone” was given to him by the Tifosi at that time. Joining Scuderia Ferrari made him the last driver personally recruited by Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari, and the first to demonstrate the 109 chassis and set a new lap record without Enzo Ferrari present. The chassis was given to him after Nigel Mansell’s last race for Scuderia Ferrari. The Ferrari 640 has been out of operation for 32 years, but remains 100% complete, ready to be preserved in a “last race” condition, and can even be immediately put back on the track for use. RM Sotheby’s estimates the selling price to be between 2.5 million and 5 million euros.
2005 GP Masters Reynard 2KI
Nigel Mansell’s F1 career officially ended after 15 races, following the 1995 Spanish Grand Prix, but his passion for racing never waned. As he proved in the 1993 CART Indy World Series, he won his debut race, becoming the only person to win both the World Drivers’ Championship and the US open-wheel national championship. He later returned to the track in 2005 to participate in the Grand Prix Masters series, driving the Reynard 2KI. Based on the 2000 Reynard Champ Car, it was powered by a Cosworth XB V8-derived 3.5L V8 engine, reportedly capable of reaching speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. The car lacked ABS, power steering, and other “driver aids” or traction control, highlighting the raw skills of the “masters.”
1991 Birkin 7 Sprint
Nigel Mansell may have reached the peak of his career in the most advanced racing cars of their time – but even the world’s best drivers appreciate the simple pleasure of driving a legendary Lotus Seven designed by Colin Chapman. This partly explains why Nigel Mansell purchased this South African-made Birkin 7 Sprint directly from the manufacturer, founded in 1982 by John Watson, a direct descendant of the legendary Bentley Boy Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin. Watson had long been a fan of the Lotus 7, so he decided to create his own version to sell to like-minded enthusiasts – and it was launched during the 1983 South African Grand Prix with the approval of Chapman’s widow Hazel and witnessed by Lotus F1 team drivers at the time – Elio de Angelis, and of course, Nigel Mansell. It is said that he extensively drove the Birkin in the UK, but like other cars in the series, it has now been dormant for many years.
1992 iC Modulo
What is this strange-looking thing?
According to reports, this iC Modulo was designed by Italian designer Carlo Lamattina and went into production in 1988, equipped with a Kevlar reinforced body, independent front suspension, with a total weight of only 390 kilograms; combined with the three-cylinder BMW K75S motorcycle engine and a 28-liter fuel tank, it can achieve a range of 560 kilometers. Nigel Mansell obtained this prototype car directly from Lamattina in 1990, and later Lamattina showed him the car after the qualifying session of the 1992 Italian Grand Prix. When sold, it will come with two photos taken of the two on the track, another of Mansell behind the wheel of the Modulo, and a letter from the designer confirming its authenticity, and that it was previously owned by him, being the first production model. Currently, this car has only driven about 3,000 kilometers, with RM Sotheby’s estimating it at 5,000 to 25,000 euros.
資料及圖片來源：RM Sotheby’s
