Chris Evans is auctioning off some of his prized possessions including Concorde seats, arcade games and a throne to raise money for the NHS.
The Virgin Radio presenter is putting items including film posters, antique furniture and the 2012 Olympic Torch under the hammer in a bid to send the cash to hero doctors and nurses working on the coronavirus frontline.
The 54-year-old has already raised £98,770 and is set to double that sum as bids continue to roll in.
Lots include a fully working replica of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which has a top bid of £16,200 so far; a pin ball machine with a top bid of £10,500; and the Olympic torch, which stands at £20,012 so far.
Chris Evans and wife Natasha in the Concorde seats which he will be auctioning off to raise money for the NHS
The Virgin Radio presenter is putting the 2012 Olympic Torch – being held here by his son – under the hammer
Lots include a fully working replica of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which has a top bid of £16,200 so far
The auction will raise some £133,647 if all lots sell for their current guide prices – though the bids are still rolling in.
On his radio show yesterday, the presenter said: ‘Today we start our Family Evans garage sale for the NHS.
‘We’ve done it – we’ve put together this website with a very, very nice man who runs a company called Bid In. I’ve never met the guy but he’s an absolute superstar.
‘One hundred per cent of the proceeds from the auction will go to the NHS charity which needs it most come one minute past midnight on Saturday morning, when the auction closes.
‘The first few lots are on today – we had so much fun over the weekend writing little descriptions about them and how much do we say about them. Can I remember where most of them come from. Answer: no!’
Lots include seats from Concorde; the Formula One wing from driver James Hunt’s car; a French superking antique four-poster bed; and a slot arcade games machine.
This oil painting of a Ferrari 250 GTO – which currently occupies a wall in the star’s gym – is also up for sale
A James Bond poster and a 60s music print have gone under the hammer
This French superking antique four-poster bed is going under the hammer with a guide price of
The presenter is selling two Ferrari-style gaming chairs, for more than £1,500 each
This James Bond Dr. No poster is going under the hammer with a top bid so far of £1,600
The motoring enthusiast is selling his Chitty Chitty Bang Bang replica which has a top bid of £16,200 so far
There are already a handful of bids for this Benny Hill poster, which is set to fetch at least £250
The former Radio 2 host trialled hosting his breakfast show from a boat on the banks of the River Thames in Marlow, Buckinghamshire in March.
A picture posted on the radio station’s official Twitter account on March 19 showed the moored boat, while another set of images pictured Evans inside the cabin with his colleagues and their equipment.
He later revealed he and his family had ‘probably’ caught Covid-19.
Speaking on his Breakfast show last month, the 54-year-old, who has sons Noah, 11, Eli, seven, and 17-month-old twins Walt and Boo with his wife Natasha Shishmanian, said: ‘I think I’ve had it [coronavirus].
‘I’m not saying I’m qualified to say this though.
‘So many of us had this really weird cold two or three weeks ago and if four out of five most prominent people on the telly [are] talking about coronavirus, if they can get it – they’re only mild symptoms, a bit of a sniffle and dry cough.’
In 2015, petrol-head Evans raised £1.3million auctioning classic cars owned by his company Zimple at Bonhams’ annual Goodwood Revival sale.
The total money from the sales, which includes the buyer’s premium that went to Bonhams and VAT that goes to the taxman, was £1,312,115.
He raised more than £50,000 for Children In Need by selling off dozens of items of cherished automobilia.