On August 1, 1976 three-time Formula 1 World Champion Niki Lauda almost lost his life, during the second lap of the German Grand Prix at the 14.2-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit.
Before the race, Lauda famously attempted to convince his fellow drivers to boycott the Grand Prix due to safety concerns. His instincts were proven correct in the most tragic of circumstances, after his Ferrari 312T violently collided with the barrier, ripping his helmet from his head before his car burst into flames after being rammed by the Surtees of Brett Lunger.
Miraculously – and thanks to the assistance of four rivals, who selflessly pulled him from the burning wreckage – Lauda survived and valiantly returned to the cockpit for the Italian Grand Prix just 42 days later. He finished his comeback race in fourth position, and narrowly missed out on the 1976 title to James Hunt by a single point.
The very helmet Lauda wore during his terrible crash in Germany is being auctioned by Bonhams
Now, almost 50 years later, the very helmet Lauda wore during his terrible crash in Germany is being auctioned by Bonhams, at the Miami Grand Prix on Saturday May 4, 2024. The Lauda family has elected for part of the proceeds to be donated to the UNICEF charity.
Niki sadly passed away in 2019, aged 70. After his driving career, Lauda went on to run three airlines, and he was also instrumental to the historic success of the modern Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team, which won eight consecutive constructors’ titles from 2014-2021.
Lauda’s helmet is expected to cross the block for between $50,000 and $60,000.
Bonhams is also offering helmets worn by other legendary Ferrari F1 drivers. The headgear of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher and 1992 title-winner Nigel Mansell are the lids with the joint second-highest estimates. Both are predicted to cross the block for $25,000-$30,000 each.
The helmet of fan favourite Gilles Villeneuve is next on the list, at $20,000-$30,000, followed by Alain Prost’s ($15,000-$20,000). The lids of Jean Alesi, Eddie Irvine and Gerhard Berger are all projected to sell for between $5000-$7000.
Magneto ran a full cover feature on our favourite famous lids in issue 14, and Lauda’s 1985 Bell model made the list alongside the helmet worn by James Hunt for his maiden Grand Prix victory at the Dutch GP in 1975.
