NIGEL Mansell’s title-winning Indycar has joined Zak Brown’s impressive collection of racecars.
The Mansell car was the first Indycar that the Englishman raced following his sensational defection from Formula 1 – where he was reigning world champion – to the United States-based series for 1993.
RESULTS: RM Sotheby’s ‘House that Newman/Haas built’ auction
In all, Mansell drove HU05 to four of his five wins during the 1993 season, including his pole position and the race win at Surfers Paradise in his Indycar debut, plus oval wins at Milwaukee, the Michigan 500 and Nazareth.
The win at Nazareth also secured the overall championship victory, resulting in a one-week period where Mansell held both Formula 1 and Indycar Series titles – a feat never before achieved and unmatched since.
Mansell’s HU05 went for the highest price of all 77 lots auctioned on Saturday, fetching US$995,000 (AU$1,553,024) plus buyer’s premium.
V8 Sleuth can confirm that Brown, co-owner of Walkinshaw Andretti United and CEO of McLaren, was the buyer.
The Lola will join Brown’s glittering collection of historic race cars, several of which – like the Mansell Indycar with its Gold Coast victory – have Australian links.
Brown owns the 2011 Bathurst 1000-winning Holden Racing Team Commodore, which he had out in action at Laguna Seca in recent weeks, while last year he purchased the Chevrolet Monza that Allan Moffat drove in Australian Sports Sedans races between 1976 and 1980.
