Worn brake discs and helmets were among the curios bought by Formula 1 fans as the contents of the former Arrows factory went under the auctioneer's hammer.

More than 500 people travelled to the windswept site on the edge of Cotswolds to bid for nearly 3,000 items during the two-day sale.

On June 18, most bidders were associated with the motorsports industry or engineering.

On June 19, many were Formula 1 fans or kit-car enthusiasts, buying everything from tyre blankets to Arrows T-shirts and mugs.

The 'lollipops' used to signal drivers to brake in the pit lanes attracted particular attention.

Julie Hutton, of south London, said: "I'm a complete Formula 1 nut."

She was waiting to bid for team clothes -- especially those associated with former driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen -- and Arrows wheel frames.

She said: "They'll make good coffee tables."

She added: "It was very sad they went out of business."

Robin Abrey, of Bristol, wanted to buy a display trailer for his company, Longlife exhausts.

But unlike most of the others at the auction, he saw the Arrows logo as a disadvantage.

"We'll change it to Longlife exhausts. We'll be better known than Arrows soon," he said.

Tony Jupitus, who had taken a day's holiday to travel to Oxfordshire from Essex, disagreed.

He said: "It's part of Grand Prix history. There won't be another Arrows, so these things are worth a lot."

Steve Bone, of Milton Keynes, bought six pit crew helmets for £400, which he planned to use for his karting hobby.

He has already bought Arrows suits on the Internet auction site eBay, probably sold by disgruntled former Arrows employees, who are owed wages.

Receivers said money raised by the auction would go first to secured creditors, such as the tax authorities.

Former workers are unlikely to receive anything.