A race helmet of Ayrton Senna fetched no less than 500,000 pounds at an auction in Silverstone – more than four times the estimated value. The Brazilian F1 legend wore this specific example during the British, German, and Hungarian Grands Prix in 1992. Historic helmets are becoming increasingly popular among collectors; previously, a helmet of Gilles Villeneuve broke the magical one million euro mark.
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The helmet, which comes from Senna’s period at McLaren, was offered by Budds and was estimated to fetch between 80,000 and 120,000 British pounds. The auction house noted in the description that the example showed clear signs of use, including stone chips and other imperfections. The buyer also received a certificate of authenticity from McLaren. Ultimately, the helmet fetched half a million pounds, equivalent to nearly six hundred thousand euros.
Senna wore the helmet, among others, during the 1992 Hungarian GP, the race in which he achieved one of his three wins that season. Nigel Mansell was on his way to his first world title that year with Williams, but despite the Brit’s dominance, Senna still managed to secure victories in Monaco, Italy, and Hungary. However, the Hungarian win was not enough to keep Mansell from his first championship.
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Popular helmets
Other Senna items also fetched high amounts during the auction. Used Williams gloves and a pair of signed racing shoes brought in 17,000 and 14,000 pounds respectively. Despite the half-million yield, the record for an F1 helmet was not broken: earlier this year, the helmet Senna wore during the 1992 Belgian GP was auctioned for 720,000 pounds. Gilles Villeneuve’s 1982 helmet broke the record not long after; it went under the hammer for one million euros.
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Read all about the Belgian GP here
