Unseen motor racing artefacts don’t come much more special or private than this. German auctioneer Automobilia Ladenburg will sell documents, photos and more from pre-war champion Rudolf Caracciola in its Spring Auction on 15-16 May.
Widely considered to be one of the greatest Grand Prix drivers of all time, not least by many of his contemporaries, Caracciola, who died in September 1959, is best remembered for his time with Mercedes-Benz and the Silver Arrows. He claimed three championships in five years, having previously won major races in his Alfa Romeo including the 1932 German Grand Prix.
But the collection on offer stretches back far longer, even to his childhood in the early 1900s with a photo of five-year-old Caratsch.
Caracciola's contract with Alfa Romeo for the Mille Miglia and Monaco Grand Prix of 1932 (left); Caratsch's private photo album from the 1928 season
