As Brazil prepares for the São Paulo Grand Prix, attention returns to Ayrton Senna, the three-time world champion whose legacy still sets the pace
Catawiki reveals the Senna Speed, a model aerobatic airplane built by Hanno Prettner for Ayrton, flown only by him, hand signed, with direct maker provenance
Never offered publicly before, the object includes the certificate and the original remote, carries an estimate of €50,000, and appears in Catawiki’s Exclusive Selection week until 14 November 2025
Amsterdam, 4 November 2025 - In São Paulo, the curbs glow yellow-and-green in preparation for the Brazilian Grand Prix. When in the home of the three-time world champion Ayrton Senna, the conversation inevitably returns to the driver whose precision, flair and fearlessness still define what greatness looks like. In that spirit, Catawiki, the leading marketplace for special objects, is unveiling a singular piece of Ayrton’s private world: the ‘Senna Speed’ — a radio-controlled model aerobatic airplane built especially for him, flown exclusively by him, and hand-signed.
Conceived and handcrafted by Hanno Prettner, the seven-time model-aerobatics world champion and heavy name in the world of model planes, the one-off ‘Senna Speed’ lived for decades in the manufacturer’s collection in Austria. An item like this has never been offered in the market, much less bearing his autograph.
“Authentic Ayrton Senna signatures are genuinely scarce,” explains Marc Jans, sports memorabilia expert at Catawiki. “His passing in 1994 means the supply is finite, and high-quality examples with strong provenance are increasingly hard to find. Pair that with a model airplane built for and flown only by Senna: that combination has never been seen in the market before.”
Prettner’s recollection, echoed in the accompanying certificate, is intimate: “Ayrton was an enthusiastic and excellent model-aerobatics pilot… the love of speed and instant reaction was a special part of our friendship.” The pair used to spend time piloting the models side by side in Austria, where the Senna Speed has been kept over the decades. The 1989 hand-signing is on the left wing of the aircraft itself, and the item remains flight-worthy, accompanied by the original remote control.
Estimated at around €50,000, this item is a glimpse into an alternative chapter of Ayrton Senna’s life, where precision became play. Built for him, flown only by him, alongside the original remote, it invites care as much as admiration. As Marc puts it, “You can feel the friendship in this object. A world champion building for a world champion, and Ayrton taking it to the sky himself. That human link is extremely hard to price.”.
