In a move akin to selling the Shroud of Turin, a former production coordinator from BBC's Top Gear television program put one of The Stig's iconic white helmets up for auction this week. The seller, Sophia Vaizey, explains:

"The Stig wore it [the helmet] on the show for quite a while. He then got a new one for safety reasons, so it got stored away in the Top Gear office. I was quite surprised when they gave it to me but also I felt honored."

Mrs. Vaizey received the Holy Relic as a parting gift after an eighteen month stint on the show. The helmet was signed by his Stigliness, host Richard Hammond and members of Top Gear's production crew.

When sold at Gorringes Auctioneers in Lewes earlier this week, it was expected to fetch £1,200 (US$1,880) though actually went for almost three times as much (£3,400 / US$5,327).

Mrs. Vaizey sold the helmet in an effort to raise money to buy a house. There's no word on who the buyer is, but Carscoop suspects it may be someone wishing to create his / her own F1 Team from The Stig's dandruff.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: BBC , Photo: Top Gear