Australian motorsport entrepreneur and Speedcafe.com founder Brett “Crusher” Murray has put up an extensive part of his private memorabilia collection for sale through Lloyds Auctions.
The auction has over 200 items ranging from original race-worn helmets and suits to racing caps with no reserve. The auction is live until April 30 and has already gained national and international attention.
A minimum of 10% of all proceeds from the auction will be donated to Motor Racing Ministries, an organisation close to Murray’s heart and the nominated charity of Speedcafe.com for many years.
Many of the pieces have been personally autographed by the original driver/rider and can be bid on here.
There are several nominated items where 100% of the proceeds will go to the charity.
“What we have put up for sale is a great cross section of items from my 35 years in the business,” said Murray.
“There are many items I have in my personal vault which will never be sold, but this collection has some pretty cool items in it.
“The support we have had for the auction has been overwhelming and no one has been more excited than the team at Lloyds Auctions, who have been great partners at Speedcafe.com for several years.
“There are $50 collector hats and books to $10,000-plus race helmets and all of them are original and have their own unique story. It’s safe to say there is something for everyone.
“One of my favourite pieces is a rare Mario Andretti pinball machine, which matches nicely with Andrertti’s original 100mph club jacket presented to him in 1964 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“We have raised well over $100,000 for Motor Racing Ministries in recent years and we look forward to adding to that tally substantially with this auction.
“I have enjoyed many of these items for many years and it’s time to give someone else the chance to become the next custodian.”
The majority of the items have been purchased by Murray from charity auctions or private collections during the last three decades and are linked to many forms of motorsport including Supercars, Formula 1, Indycar and MotoGP.
Some of the other unique items in the auction include:
- A one-off Ayrton Senna-signed Marlboro Team Penske jacket from his one and only Indycar test. The jacket is also signed by Roger Penske.
- Alan Jones’ first ever go-kart helmet. Signed unauthenticated by the 1980 Formula 1 World Champion.
- A door from Peter Brock’s 05 Commodore from his last year of full-time competition in Australia. It comes with a Brock-signed program from the same season.
- A rare Mario Andretti Pinball machine which is in mint condition.
- A pair of race-worn boots from Wayne Gardner’s 1986 500cc season.
- Signed boots and gloves from the late Dan Wheldon
Lloyds Auction’s Chief Operating Officer, Lee Hames, says that Murray’s personal collection is one of the best examples he has ever seen offered through his organisation.
“There is no doubt that Crusher has one of the best motorsport memorabilia collections we have seen and we are delighted that he has teamed with Lloyds to sell part of it,” said Hames.
“So many of the items are one-off authentic pieces with their own stories and we are sure they will encourage interest from a wide cross section of fans and collectors.
“It is unusual for a collection to be so unique and so diverse and that is one of the reasons it has gained so much attention. It is fun just to read through the stories of each of these items which have been so well documented by Crusher.”
The auction will conclude at 2:00pm on Sunday 30 April 2023.