Nigel Mansell-owned Audi RS6 for sale

Here’s a fun game to play over Christmas: type ’Nigel Mansell owned’ into Google and bask in the weird and wonderful world of tat that’s been either in the possession of or signed by the 1992 F1 champ. It all started with a recent and rather bizarre auction. Called the ‘Nigel Mansell Legacy Collection’, the auction was filled with all sorts of Mansell memorabilia from old F1 steering wheels to utter obscurities like a crochet doll of the man himself. Clearly, our Nige was having a loft clear out and fancied making a few quid in the process, but it just shows there’s a strong and very dedicated market for Mansell clutter. 

That got me thinking: is there the same amount of demand for Mansell’s old cars? We saw a couple of his F1 machines head to auction last year, with fellow F1 champ Sebastian Vettel putting in the winning bid for the all-conquering Williams FW14B, but they would have likely sold for six or potentially seven figures. There’s got to be a cheaper route into owning one of Mansell’s old motors, if you’re into that sort of thing. So I did some digging through the PH classifieds and, lo and behold, there’s a former Mansell-mobile for sale right now.

It’s this very vibrant 2009 Audi RS6 Avant in Pearlescent Red, a rare shade on the C6 and totally befitting of ol’ Red Five. Not nearly as quirky as the bizarre three-wheeled iC Modulo M89 sports car sold at auction last year (a gift for securing pole at the 1992 Italian GP, apparently), but it’s considerably less embarrassing and a whole lot faster. There’s a V10 to power it, after all – just like his championship-winning Williams, but rather than wail all the way up to 12,000rpm the twin-turbo RS6 unlocks its 450hp as low down as 5,700rpm. That’s where the similarities end, but it’s good to know ‘Il Leone’ was rocking ten cylinders long after retiring from F1. 

Some additional digging on the internet nreveals that he once owned a red Audi Quattro, bought new in 1984, so perhaps this car’s spec was a callback to that. It’s completely stock, according to the advert, though if I’m not mistaken the V10T badge on the back wasn’t a factory fit and was perhaps fitted by one of the car’s other previous owners. And while it certainly looks to have been kept in good nick, the leather is inevitably getting a bit creased and there’s some wear around the seat bolsters.

That’s to be expected, given that it’s covered 107,000 miles. How many of those have been covered by the champ isn’t known, although the ad claims the car was ordered new by Mansell and used by the family in Jersey for eight years. So it’s likely been used as a bit of a workhorse, likely serving as a dog carrier for his German shepherd Geisha – a personal protection pup that reportedly set Nige back a hefty £15,000. Can’t image a dog that expensive would settle for anything less than a V10 Audi estate, then.

So, how much is it then? The seller wants £16,995 for it, which is not only reasonably priced by celeb-owned car standards, but it’s also the cheapest C6 RS6 currently for sale on PH. That sort of money would have bagged you the pole position cup from the 1992 Monaco Grand Prix in the Mansell auction, an interesting ornament for the home office but it’d feel a bit strange displaying a trophy you didn’t win, right? Here you’re getting a piece of Mansell memorabilia you can actually use and enjoy. All that’s missing is a signature on the dash, though I’m sure he’ll oblige if you ask him nicely (and maybe slip him a tenner).