Huge Newman/Haas IndyCar collection to go under hammer

A huge collection of Newman/Haas Indycars, driven by Mansell, Andretti and others are to be auctioned off in October

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1993-Newman-Haas-Lola-IndyCar-of-Nigel-mansell

Mansell's title-winning '93 car is amongst those being sold

RM Sotheby's

One the greatest competition car collections in the racing world is set to be auctioned off later this year.

In what RM Sotheby’s says is the “largest single collection of open-wheel cars ever offered at auction”, 40 Indycars – driven to titles by Nigel Mansell, Mario Andretti and Sebastien Bourdais amongst others – as well as road-going machines, trophies and more is being sold off from the now-defunct Newman-Haas team.

With eight CART/Champ Car championships and 108 wins garnered by the cars in the auction, the 78 lots combined represents a true legacy of US racing success.

The team was owned by Hollywood legend Paul Newman and businessman Carl Haas. The latter, who was the largest importer of racing components into the US, was also the Lola distributor in the country, and this is reflected in the cars offered in the auction.

1983-Newman-Haas-Lola-IndyCar-of-Mario-Andretti

Andretti’s 1984 Lola-Cosworth T800 in which he took his final IndyCar crown

RM Sotheby's

Among those offered is Mario Andretti’s 1984 Lola T800 which he won his fourth IndyCar title with, the 1993 Lola T93/00 that Mansell claimed his ’93 CART championship in – making him the only driver to simultaneously hold both the US and F1 crowns – as well as the weapons wielded by Bourdais during his dominant period of winning four Champ Car titles on the bounce between 2004 and 2007, a record unlikely to be beaten.

From the archive

Also featured is the T91/00 which Michael Andretti took his single ’91 CART title in and the B02/00 which Christiano Da Matta used to win his championship in 2002.

The team began operating in 1983, and cars from throughout its near 30-year tenure at the top of US racing are offered: Mario’s first Lola T700 is for sale, right up to the Dallara IR-05 driven by Oriol Servia to fourth in the championship in the team’s last year.

As well as Lolas there are also cars produced by Panoz and Swift, in a collection which charts the progression of American open-wheel racing across three decades.

All the IndyCar machines are offered without reserve, as well as a number of other vehicles: a 1948 MG TC, a one-of-300 2000 MV Agusta F4 750 Serie Oro and a Ford Fusion NASCAR can be bid on, in addition to race suits and helmets worn by Mario, Mansell, Da Matta and Bourdais.

Trophies are also being sold from what is still one of IndyCar’s most successful ever teams. Newman passed away in 2008 before the team ended its participation in the championship at the close of 2011. Haas died five years later.

Some expressed the regret on social media that a museum is not being created out of the collection, as Bourdais tweeted saying “Sad day…”

The auction will take place on October 29. Lots can be viewed and enquiries made here.

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