Ron Howard’s excellent movie Rush has rekindled memories of the titanic struggle for the 1976 F1 World Championship between Britain’s James Hunt and the terse Austrian Niki Lauda.
Perhaps influenced by the film’s success, Britain’s Silverstone Auctions has tipped a crash helmet used by Hunt could fetch up to £25,000 when bidding is complete at the company’s Race Retro Sale on 22-23 February.
Used by Hunt in the 1978 season – his last with McLaren before controversially switching to drive for the fledgling Walter Wolf Racing Team in ’79 – the Bell helmet shows a few battle scars plus Hunt’s traditional three coloured stripes (red, blue and yellow - the colours of the Public School he attended) plus logos for Marlboro, Texaco and Goodyear.
