Filed under: Motorsports, Auction Action, Japan
Super Aguri assets to be auctioned
Click above for a gallery illustrating what's on the block from Super Aguri.
In the fast-paced world of Formula One, teams come and go. Only most of the time, they're just changing names and management (in fact, Ferrari and Williams are the only teams still on the grid that were founded under the same name and same ownership as they remain today). So Jordan Grand Prix, for a most vivid example, became Midland F1 Racing in 2006, then Spyker in 2007 before its metamorphosis into Force India for 2008. Super Aguri was another story. Founded by former racing driver Aguri Suzuki, the team was the first in years to actually put up the bond necessary to start a completely new entry. Unfortunately, the uniquely Japanese-named team never had the money it needed to succeed, and after a little over two years, the team folded. But not before millions upon millions were spent on cars, equipment and everything else.
So what happened to all that stuff? Well, after Super Aguri went into bankruptcy administration earlier this year, the team's remaining assets are to be liquidated by British auction house SHM Smith Hodgkinson at the end of this month. Among the assets up on the block will be a dozen F1 racing cars, a fleet of transporter trucks and four autoclaves. So if you're looking to buy yourself the remains of an F1 team, this could be your chance.
Gallery: Super Aguri
[Source: SAF1-auction.com via autosport, Photos: Getty]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
tankd0g 8:22PM (7/08/2008)
Take Paypal from an unverified address?
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pmiddle5 9:09PM (7/08/2008)
Maybe Honda will buy it to try and figure out how they were faster then the new cars.
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guy 9:20PM (7/08/2008)
Are Anthony and Takuma for sale?
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pmiddle5 10:23PM (7/08/2008)
Hopefully to an IRL team?... Rebull IRL team! Super Aguri IRL team! come onzzz
pmiddle5 10:24PM (7/08/2008)
p.s. Minardi IRL team?
JD 9:24PM (7/08/2008)
Oh my god, I'll take one or two F1 cars. Thanks.
Shame to see these guys go, on a more serious note. They always did have some spice in them, and it's too bad that they are gone.
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azzo45 9:32PM (7/08/2008)
Hopefully a pitcrew shirt & one of those BBS rims are cheap deal!!! :) :)
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DS 10:18PM (7/08/2008)
I'll take the lot
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paul34 10:19PM (7/08/2008)
This would make a great new daily driver. Well, until it rains here in Florida.
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why not the LS2LS7? 10:35PM (7/08/2008)
Ahh, now we see the article yesterday about new teams ready to join F1 was spin control.
The worst part about all this is F1 still costs so much to join and is in many ways a spec series now.
Perhaps F1 should look at how they can change the series to be more-cost effective EVEN IF IT HURTS FERRARI. Right now, their changes nibble around the edge and still leave open very expensive avenues to gain advantage, because the highest-priced teams want to make sure that the new teams coming in are no threat to them. They want a higher car count with no risk of losing to the new teams.
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pmiddle5 10:44PM (7/08/2008)
I think allowing teams to purchase a bare monocoque would help quite a bit.
They are going to be doing that whole forced budget measure which should be interesting to boot. I dont feel the show is boring with a 20 car grid but I guess to a degree the more the better?...
why not the LS2LS7? 10:51PM (7/08/2008)
I don't think the forced budget measure will help. Teams will find ways to cheat. It'll be easy.
And the idea of the monocoque is just more of the same problem. It'll make it easy for teams to get in the series, but they'll stand no chance of winning, because what they have cannot compete with the top 3-4 teams.
To make it more competitive would require controlling what the top teams do more than controlling what the low-end teams do. And that's exactly what F1 hasn't done.
pmiddle5 11:41PM (7/08/2008)
Any ideas at all?....Fix the reward system? idk. The budget discrepancy IS massive
nick 10:53PM (7/08/2008)
You F1 guys talk more about F1 off the track than you do about the actual racing... Forget costs, fix the passing issue, or the lack thereof..
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pmiddle5 11:41PM (7/08/2008)
Passing issue? Idk I see quite a bit of over taking every race. They dont pass and repass each other continually since it isnt a draft race with spec cars but its pretty nice.
why not the LS2LS7? 12:15AM (7/09/2008)
I don't see much passing. It's all done in the pits, which is less exciting.
Kips 4:04AM (7/09/2008)
Most European have probally grown up to watch the sport and there's the feel of long history and the fact that it's pinnacle of racing.
Example Nascar is for me just lots of norm cars going circle crashing and meaningless passing.
There must be something considering one race last year was second most watched sport event from 2007.
Kips 4:08AM (7/09/2008)
Oh and that race was of course last years Brazilian GP.
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Ovidiu Miron 7:07AM (7/09/2008)
Yeah, this could be my chance :) .
The bankruptcy administration is only the sign of a bad management.
In the next years more people will spend millions upon millions on cars.
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Greg 7:19AM (7/09/2008)
why do they have 4 autoclaves?
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