One to Buy: ex-Nigel Mansell 1988 Ferrari Testarossa
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Of the myriad British drivers to have appeared in Formula 1 and Grand Prix racing over the best part of 100 years, perhaps none have received the level of rapturous home support as Nigel Mansell.
Whether it was at Silverstone or Brands Hatch, Mansell’s performances electrified the huge crowds that came to support him in a riotous fashion unseen before or since.
With a talent considered by many experts to have been on a par with contemporary rival Ayrton Senna, Mansell should have been a three-time World Champion. However, bad luck in 1986 and ‘87 cost him while driving for the Williams Honda team and, following a disappointing campaign in 1988 when Williams had to run underpowered Judd engines, Mansell departed for Scuderia Ferrari and became the last driver Enzo Ferrari personally signed.
Just like in Britain, the Italian fans adored Mansell who they dubbed ‘il Leone’ on account of his heroic driving style. Despite some appalling reliability and the dominance of McLaren, Mansell won three races for Ferrari during the 1989 and ‘90 season and when his car made the finish, the Brit was nearly always on the podium.
When Mansell signed for Ferrari in late 1988, a perk was the gift of a brand new Testarossa which is set to go under the hammer with RM Sotheby’s at their sale in London on November 4th.
A right-hand drive example supplied new to Gestions Sportives Automobiles of Geneva on December 23rd 1988 and subsequently imported to the UK by Maranello Concessionaires, chassis 79325 remained in Nigel Mansell’s possession until December 1993.
Today the car, which features a commemorative plaque on its door jam, has covered a little under 15,000 miles. It is offered in superb condition along with an original six-piece set of fitted Schedoni lugagge monogrammed with Nigel Mansell’s initials.
