Rare trophies and signed artwork among 300-lot motorsport auction

An online auction featuring more than 300 lots of motorsport memorabilia and artwork includes several items associated with 1976 Formula One world champion James Hunt.

Organised by Broad Arrow Auctions, the Global Icons: Winter Memorabilia and Artwork sale opens on November 9. Among the items on offer are four lots connected to Hunt and his racing career.

The British driver won the 1976 Formula One World Championship with McLaren, beating Austrian rival Niki Lauda by one point after a dramatic season. Hunt recorded 10 Grand Prix victories between 1973 and 1979 before retiring from Formula One at the end of the 1979 season.

The championship was decided at the Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji Speedway on October 24 1976. Racing in heavy rain, Hunt finished third to secure enough points to take the title from Lauda, who had withdrawn from the race.

The auction includes trophies from Hunt’s early racing career, a drawing signed by 21 Formula One drivers, a helmet featuring a tribute to the former champion and a signed print.

James Hunt’s early racing trophies

Three original trophies awarded to Hunt during his 1968 Formula Ford season are estimated to sell for €6,000-€8,000 (about R111,742-R148,977). They are being offered without reserve, meaning there is no minimum price the seller requires for a sale.

The trophies date from the early stages of Hunt’s racing career, several years before he reached Formula One and won the world championship.

Drawing signed by 21 Formula One drivers

A drawing of Hunt associated with the 1976 German Grand Prix carries an estimate of €2,500-€4,000. It is being sold directly by the Hunt family and offered without reserve.

The drawing features original signatures from 21 Formula One drivers, including Hunt, Lauda, Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jody Scheckter, Ronnie Peterson, Alan Jones and John Watson.

Other signatures include those of Carlos Pace, Chris Amon, Clay Regazzoni, Jochen Mass, Jacques Laffite, Patrick Depailler, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Arturo Merzario, Harald Ertl, Henri Pescarolo, Henri Stommelen, Mike Lunger and Vittorio Brambilla.

Kimi Räikkönen’s James Hunt tribute helmet

An Arai GP-6 helmet featuring a James Hunt tribute design is another highlight. Estimated at €8,000-€10,000, it is being offered by the Hunt family without reserve.

The helmet carries the livery worn by Kimi Räikkönen at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix while driving for Lotus. The design was created with the support of Hunt’s family.

Two exact replicas were produced. One was presented to the Hunt family, while the other was given to then-Lotus team principal Eric Boullier.

The helmet was subsequently used by Freddie Hunt, James Hunt’s son, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It retains its original Goodwood 2016 and MSA Approved for Motor Sport 2014/15 scrutineering stickers.

The helmet will be sold with a personal note from James’s other son, Tom Hunt, providing additional provenance.

Räikkönen won the 2007 Formula One World Championship with Ferrari and recorded 21 Grand Prix victories during a career that included spells with Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari and Lotus. He retired from Formula One at the end of the 2021 season.

Signed James Hunt print

A framed print of Hunt by Michael Thompson completes the selection. The limited-edition print is one of 750 produced and bears Hunt’s original signature.

It carries an estimate of €1,000-€1,200 and is being offered without reserve.

The lots can be viewed in Broad Arrow Auctions’ online catalogue for the Global Icons: Winter Memorabilia and Artwork sale.