The British newspaper Daily Mail reported on Wednesday that the infamous Austin Healey race car that was involved in one of the most horrible tragedy to hit motorsport is about to be sold.
At the beginning of the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, the No. 26 Austin Healey was driven by British racer Lance Macklin. At the time, there was no wall separating the race track from the pit lane.
During the first round of pit stops, Mike Hawthorn, behind the wheel of a Jaguar D-Type, braked heavily forcing Macklin to swerve sharply. French driver Pierre Levegh, driving a Mercedes-Benz 300SLR, had nowhere to go, rearended the Austin Healey, and flew into the spectators area.
The French driver and 84 spectators were killed instantly by debris hurtled through the air at 150mph and fires that erupted in the grandstands from the wreckage. The drama caused Switzerland to ban any form of racing on its territory and Mercedes to pull out of motorsport for decades.
The car's anonymous owner has now decided to sell the Austin Healey at auction after keeping it locked up for the past 42 years in a garage in the north England.
The Austin Healey is set to fetch an astonishing £1million ($2 millions) despite needing much attention and repairs. The sale is being held at Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge, Surrey, UK.
At the beginning of the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, the No. 26 Austin Healey was driven by British racer Lance Macklin. At the time, there was no wall separating the race track from the pit lane.
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During the first round of pit stops, Mike Hawthorn, behind the wheel of a Jaguar D-Type, braked heavily forcing Macklin to swerve sharply. French driver Pierre Levegh, driving a Mercedes-Benz 300SLR, had nowhere to go, rearended the Austin Healey, and flew into the spectators area.
The French driver and 84 spectators were killed instantly by debris hurtled through the air at 150mph and fires that erupted in the grandstands from the wreckage. The drama caused Switzerland to ban any form of racing on its territory and Mercedes to pull out of motorsport for decades.
The car's anonymous owner has now decided to sell the Austin Healey at auction after keeping it locked up for the past 42 years in a garage in the north England.
The Austin Healey is set to fetch an astonishing £1million ($2 millions) despite needing much attention and repairs. The sale is being held at Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge, Surrey, UK.