When the palatial home of the late motor racing legend Ayrton Senna went on the market earlier this year, few people were surprised at its £7m price tag.
But it might be a surprise to know that an earlier residence once lived in by the Brazilian champion sold at the weekend – a much more modest two bedroom bungalow in Eaton, Norwich.
An estate agent from William H Brown, on Unthank Road, in the city confirmed yesterday that the bungalow sold for between £210,000 and £215,000.
Compared with the Portuguese villa boasting six bedrooms and seven bathrooms as well as a cinema room which went up for sale in March, the Norfolk bungalow was a much smaller abode – and it was snapped up by one of the first people to view it.
Estate agent Mark Bird was unaware of the celebrity connection of the 1960s bungalow, on Rugge Drive.
'Senna rented the property between 1981-2 when he was competing in the Formula Ford racing season at Snetterton so it's a long time ago,' he said.
'The racing driver didn't own the property but is believed to have rented it for about a year and so his name wasn't on any documents so we couldn't have known he was ever there. We don't come across too many famous home-owners... and then they tend to have larger properties,' he said.
Senna, who was killed in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, had lived with his wife at the bungalow while driving for Ralph Firman's Van Diemen company.
On his way to becoming a superstar, Senna drove for Norfolk's F1 Team Lotus, based at Hethel, for three years before he moved to McLaren in 1988.
Did you know Ayrton Senna while he lived in Norfolk? Email caroline.culot@archant.co.uk
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