Estimate GBP 200,000 – GBP 300,000
Ayrton Senna da Silva (1960-1994)
Auction: 11 December, London
Two autograph letters signed to Antonio Carlos Cechinatto, Montreux and Milan, 14 May and 11 June 1979.
In Portuguese. 13 pages, 210 x 148mm and 12 pages, 297 x 209mm; envelopes; transcription and English translation. [With:] 4 black and white photographs, 180 x 240mm, and 19 colour photographs, 89 x 123mm, showing karting races, with many depicting Senna.
Beyond a few personal items—often difficult to authenticate—it is primarily his autographs that collectors worldwide seek. One of the finest piece of Formula 1 memorabilia to come to market. Ayrton Senna wrote very few letters; only two or three are known to exist, apart from those preserved by his family in Brazil, which will never be sold. None, however, are as long and detailed as these. This collection includes 25 extraordinary pages that immerse us in Senna’s thoughts and reflections, revealing his obsession with race strategy and technical mastery, illustrated by truly remarkable technical sketches.
Provenance
Antonio Carlos Cechinatto; thence by descent to his sister Glaucia Fernanda Cechinatto; from whom acquired by the present owner.
Beyond a few personal items—often difficult to authenticate—it is primarily his autographs that collectors worldwide seek. One of the finest piece of Formula 1 memorabilia to come to market. Ayrton Senna wrote very few letters; only two or three are known to exist, apart from those preserved by his family in Brazil, which will never be sold. None, however, are as long and detailed as these. This collection includes 25 extraordinary pages that immerse us in Senna’s thoughts and reflections, revealing his obsession with race strategy and technical mastery, illustrated by truly remarkable technical sketches.
In the first letter, Senna writes from Montreux (Switzerland) to give an account of recent tests with a water-cooled engine at the Jesolo circuit in Italy, alongside the 1973 karting World champion Terry Fullerton. Senna goes into considerable detail on the technical performance of the two engines tested, adding a drawing showing how the radiators are mounted, noting a necessary adjustment to the carburetor, the effect on the production of smoke by the exhaust, and adjustments to the piston and cylinder (adding a further diagram of the piston).
