FORMER show cars from the collapsed Oxfordshire Formula 1 team Marussia sold for a total of £106,000 at a two-day auction.

More than 5,000 bidders are thought to have registered for the auction at the team’s former Banbury factory in Overthorpe Road yesterday and a parallel auction online.

One of the 2013 show cars, which did not have engines, sold for £54,000 and the other for £52,000.

About 1,000 items went under the hammer, including the nose section of a Marussia F1 racing car that reportedly fetched £15,000.

Administrators from FRP Advisory were appointed on October 27 and the team’s assets are being sold off. It ceased trading on November 7.

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Other items included a trailer used as a race workshop and office at races, and a Marussia Wirth F1 steering wheel, which sold for a reported £2,200. The company’s fibre-tapered boardroom table with aluminium centrepiece and Max Chiltern Sparco driver’s racing suit were also sold.

Six racing wheels with tyres went for £1,000 each in the auction, conducted by CA Global Partners.

James Rossiter, a spokesman for FRP Advisory, said the amount of money raised would not be made public but it has been estimated the auctions will raise up to £5m. Mr Rossiter said the proceeds would be used to pay Marussia’s creditors.

The physical auction coincided with a sale on auction website eBay, which predominantly involves office equipment and ends at 1pm today.

The Guardian newspaper reported that American businessman Gene Haas intended to bid for some of Marussia’s assets as he planned to launch an F1 team in 2016, possibly based in Abingdon.

A further auction of Marussia’s remaining assets will be held on January 21, 2015.

This would include Marussia’s three race cars for the 2014 season, minus their engines, as well as about 70 tonnes of trackside kit.

Marussia F1 was first known as Banbury-based Manor Grand Prix and was awarded entry into Formula 1 in 2010.

The team gained sponsorship from Richard Branson and was referred to as Virgin Racing before Russian car manufacturer Marussia bought a controlling stake in 2011 and renamed it Marussia F1 in 2012.

The most famous driver for Marussia was Jordan and Toyota veteran Timo Glock.

Marussia achieved 10th in the constructors championship in 2013, above Oxfordshire rivals Catherham. Driver Max Chilton was the first British rookie to complete every race in one season.

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