TOWCESTER, England — The Toleman TG184-2 Formula 1 car driven by the great Ayrton Senna in his debut F1 season in 1984 will cross the auction block May 16 in Britain.
The car is considered to be one of the key pieces of motorsport history. Silverstone Auctions has not yet announced a pre-auction estimate. But it noted in a statement on Wednesday that Senna's helmet and race suit fetched the U.S. equivalent of $118,495 and $56,507, respectively, at an earlier auction.
The car has been in private ownership for the past 16 years.
"It's undoubtedly one of the most important lots we've ever offered," said Nick Whale, Silverstone Auctions managing director, in a statement. "Senna-mania is reaching fever pitch and rightly so as he's considered by many as the greatest F1 driver we've ever seen."
Silverstone Auctions says "the car is capable of being raced." It said the car is "best known for Senna's 2nd-place drive in the rain-soaked 1984 Monaco GP." Senna finished behind Alain Prost's McLaren in torrential rain, providing "confirmation of the phenomenal talent that would take the sport by storm," according to the Official F1 Web site.
Senna "drove like a man possessed — some thought by demons," the site noted. The three-time F1 world champion died at age 34 on May 1, 1994, after crashing while leading the San Marino Grand Prix.
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