Words: Nathan Chadwick | Photos: RM Sotheby’s
A 1988 Ferrari Testarossa presented as a gift to Nigel Mansell after he signed to the Scuderia will be auctioned at RM Sotheby’s London sale later this year.
Nigel Mansell was the last Formula 1 driver ever to be hand-picked by Enzo Ferrari; the founder of the company passed away only a few months after the Brit signed up. Mansell got off to a good start by winning the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1989, yet the rest of the year was beset with technical problems as the team grappled with the revolutionary John Barnard-designed 640. It was the first sequential paddle-shift gearbox in F1, and proved unreliable – but podiums came by the middle of the year with hard-fought drives that garnered Mansell the title of Il Leone among the Tifosi.
The Testarossa was delivered just before Christmas 1988, and is one of around 500 right-hand-drive examples built. It was imported by Maranello Sales of Egham, Surrey, although the car was first supplied to Gestions Sportives Automobiles SA of Geneva, Switzerland, on December 23, 1988. It’s believed that Mansell kept the car until December 1993, and while the odometer currently reads 10,227 miles, its original odometer was replaced at 4700 miles.
The car comes with a set of luggage bearing Mansell’s initials, and there’s also a plaque confirming the Mansell connection. It’s estimated at £150,000-£200,000, and is being auctioned at RM Sotheby’s London sale, which takes place at Marlborough House on November 4.
Meanwhile, the week-long Nigel Mansell’s Legacy Collection runs from October 4-11. This contains 328 lots that range from race trophies to race suits from F1 and IndyCar, to number plates and BBC Sports Personality of Year awards. One notable inclusion is the trophy for the aforementioned 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix win that kicked off Mansell’s Ferrari career (pictured below) that left him with a cut on his hand; it has an estimate of £5000-£10,000.
For more details on the car auction, head here, while for more details on the Legacy Collection, head here.
