Sign them up: cars with autographs means money

For some, getting a scale model car signed isn’t enough. To those of us lucky enough to have an automobile of provenance, there is a trend to get the actual thing signed inside or out. Sounds rather bizarre, signing a full-size car, but I know of a few examples, and have even facilitated a few signings myself.

There’s a Lotus Cortina that was once raced by Jim Clark, Sir John Whitmore and Jack Sears, which bears Sears’s autograph on its bonnet. I also know of a Shelby Cobra still competing today with Carroll’s signature above its door. There’s even a modern McLaren GT3 car wearing a Lando Norris scrawl on its dash.

It’s debatable whether the signature actually adds much value to an already highly valuable car, but what it does give is prominence, especially when there’s a direct link to the machine and its star driver.

We had a great example where a client of mine bought an ex-Gerhard Berger Ferrari Testarossa which Gerhard, once used to give Ayrton Senna a lift to the Monaco Grand Prix. It came with a plaque on the dash, but the client asked me to check, so we contacted Gerhard and he was more than happy to come and see the car, corroborate the story and even add his signature to the dash. That unquestionably made the car that bit more special, even more so as Senna had sat in it!

The most famous is Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR ‘722’. Sir Stirling Moss wrote on the bonnet, “We did it together, my thanks and affection. Ciao” and dated it on the 50th anniversary of his and Jenks’s 1955 Mille Miglia victory. Mercedes has since preserved the message with lacquer.

To get a car signed there needs to be a strong link. There’s no point asking an unrelated driver. But if you own a historic race car or modern supercar and like the idea of it being signed by the driver or designer, why not; just make sure the valet knows and doesn’t polish it out!

Signed Alain Prost Lithograph

Aptly titled Follow the Master, this A2 litho print shows the McLarens of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna awaiting qualifying at the 1988 Spanish GP at Jerez. Perfect atmos, and hand-signed by The Professor himself. Limited to 200 with COA.

£99.95, thesignaturestore.co.uk

Kappa x Le Mans kombat t-shirt 

Remember Kappa, the brand that once made footie kits for Barcelona, Juventus and Aston Villa? Well now it’s partnered with Le Mans to bring us this beauty which would look perfectly suited beneath the Dunlop Bridge.

£60, boutique.lemans.org

Aston Martin F1 Skid Planks

Perhaps the most understated collectible going: a part you can never see yet can get you disqualified if used too much. Most would think skid planks fit for the bin after a race. Not Aston Martin, which has transformed its old ones into wall art.

£900, f1authentics.com

Mayländer Wine

Official F1 safety car driver Bernd Mayländer has turned his hand to winemaking from his own vineyard in Strümpfelbach, Germany. The irony of alcohol from the safety car driver is not lost on us. “For when the race is on and you need a winner in your glass,” they say.

From £28, maylander.wine

Porsche 911 Dakar Poster Set

We love Porsche for continuing to do bonkers things, such as the 911 Dakar: the car nobody asked for, but everybody wants. Celebrate the modern incarnation with this three-poster set, with the car resplendent in throwback Rothmans livery.

£105, shop.porsche.com

L’Or x Ferrari Coffee

Now we know the secret to Ferrari’s Le Mans success – an official coffee tie-up! It has partnered with L’Or to create a red Passione Rossa coffee machine and pods to go with it. Choose from Maranello Espresso or Imola Ristretto.

Coffee machine, £115; coffee £4.69, lorespresso.com

Andrew Francis is director at The Signature Store. thesignaturestore.co.uk