[Memorabilia] Team Merchandising....

[Mr V]

...is it worth the money?

Whilst i was up at Silverstone last week, i really took a fancy to the McLaren Jacket, until i saw the price that is! £150.

My mate liked the McLaren fleece, but didn't want to pay £75.

There were, however. Lots of people who were prepared to pay the money. The place was like a McLaaren free for all and there must have been a serious amount of money spent up there over the weekend.

Back in 2001. The bread knife bought me a BMW-Williams Jacket (my birthday always seems to fall around British GP weekend ) which was, imo, fairly reasonable at £50.

So, here we are, 6 years later, and ok, it's a different team, but the materials and style are the same and the price has gone up massively.

Other things, like team/driver caps have stayed about the same price £20 or so.

So, what are you prepared to pay for your favourite team or driver's merchandise?

I also thought, it would be a good idea to compare prices between the different countries and their respective GP's.

So, here are a list of prices that i can remember off the top of my head of different products, and i wondered how they compare to the prices elsewhere. This weekends GP at the Nurburgring being a good start. Lets see, who gets ripped off the most! (I have a feeling there are gonna be alot of unhapppy Brits on here )

McLaren Jacket £150 (221 euros/ $305 USD)
Renault Jacket £130 (192 euros/ $265 USD)
Ferrari Jacket £110 (162 euros/ $224 USD)
McLaren Fleece £75 (110 euros/ $152 USD)
Renault ING sports bag £30 (44 euros/ $61 USD)
Team caps £20 (30 euros /$45 USD)

[McKendrick]

Do what I do buy them at the end of the season!! Everything is cheap as the new stuff will be out soon!! Some good stores on ebay for stuff as well!!

[straightaxel]

My wife recently purchased a 1997 Ferrari Pit Crew Shirt as a Fathers Day gift for me I have been drooling over since the Montreal GP. She paid $200.00 USD for it online. White, Italian made (Cerrito) with full sponsor emblems it had been kept in mint condition (boxed). I wear it on race days! What a girl!

[Red]

I have quite a few Ferrari gear. Backpack, umbrella (nice umbrella actually, worth it's money to the last penny; three people can easily get shelter under it and I'm not talking about minions) tee-shirts, mugs keyrings, you name it. I also have noticed that the prices they charge at the track are "slightly" higher than those in the official Ferrari shop in Rome for example. Didn't bother to check the "on-line" stores though. Can't talk about other team's merchandise, but I suspect it's the same. Anyway, what's a couple quids when you're having fun?

[chunder]

Its a bit rough really, some of this stuff is co cheaply made in esssnce yet they charge people astronomic amounts for it!!

Better of waiting til the season is up and the stuff will be half price usually.

Cant really see the need to dress up like a race driver unless yer gonna do it but I think the teams and their merchandising people are robbing buggers eitehr way!!

[Kidzer]

I've never bought racing team gear, I noticed at BGP '05 how silly expensive it was, I dont think I'll ever buy any F1 related clothing because of it, unless I spy some cheap stuff at the end of the season.

[Sodemo]

My Dad bought me a Ferrari shirt whilst he was in Hong Kong, apparently it cost him about 80p.

He also bought me a black Ferrari cap (with the silver prancing horse sybol) which cost him 20p.

Not quite as cheap, but my Dad also saw some team shirts in Australia, he said many of them he didn't recognise, but that they must have been for the V8 Supercars or something. But he did see a Ferrari team shirt for the equivelant of about £20.

[Knowlesy]

I've never bought much F1 clothing.

I got the Renault fleece in 2005, with Mild Seven branding. That is really nice, but I bought it as a one-off as I had money burning a hole in my pocket and I couldn't find anything else. The cost? £70!

I got the McLaren/Alonso t-shirt too for this year. These are really nice and are around £25 which is reasonable. It is unusual for McLaren to release team clothing, I think this year is a first, but it is quality stuff.

PS - moved to armchair as it is better suited there. But a redirect has been left in F1.

[Super Hans]

I'm not a big fan of motorsport branded clothing, but I got myself a 2006 David Coulthard Red Bull Cap at Silverstone for a cut-price £10, because I needed something to keep the sun off my head. I also have two pairs of Sparco racing boots (Red and Black), despite not being a racing driver. I got them free. I decided not to wear them on a recent 'driving experience' I attended in case I gave the impression I was some sort of wannabe with all the gear and no idea.

[nycuk]

I have to say I find a lot of F1 merchandise a bit on the naff side. Some more subtlety in the design would be good - the Minardi tee shirts of the late 90's were cool. Very subtle, very trendy. Personal choice I know but there is little on offer that I'd want to wear out and about.

[BertMk2]

I got an Arrows fleece for a fiver (I was at Brands, I was cold, it was cheap ). End of season, sponsor/engine partner changeover and team insolvency are normally the times to buy F1 stuff (Jordan, Arrows, Jaguar, BMW Williams, Sauber gear can all be had for reasonable money now.)

[bella]

for subtlety, bmw/sauber/whoever they are are seriously cool.

i have a problem with walking around looking like an advertising hoarding, like mclaren have done with most of their team kit. it's the most bizarre thing - people actually pay money to advertise a product. surely it should be the other way around...

[BertMk2]

Very true. Some of them look ok - the Arrows fleece is I have is from the Orange era, the fleece is mostly black with some orange bits and small logos. Some of the other teams kit looks truly awful anywhere except the pitlane (and even then you need to 'herd' with others to make it reasonable.). Jag stuff is usually fairly reasonable as well with the leaping cat and not a lot else. Straying from F1 the Aston Martin gear is ok too as is Subaru.

I will admit that currently I'm wearing a black T-shirt smothered with Mitsubishi logos so my opion probably doesn't count (although once again there are mitigating circumstances for its purchase - I was at Combe, I was soaked to the skin, it was a tenner and dry.)

[Knowlesy]

The BMW-Sauber stuff is classy I agree. And cheaper than the other teams a little, too.

Although I am debating whether or not to get it as I don't want to pay money to advertise a car company. It's the most bizarre thing.

[touringlegend]

I have considered the McLaren t shirt but 27.99 is putting me off ! For something that at cost is probably 1.50 to make.

I'll wait till McLaren are excluded.

[JurekB]

My missus is a mug for anything Ferrari and she regulary spends a fortune on all sorts of tat. She also observed that at Silverstone this year everything on the official Ferrari merchandise stands was more expensive then the exact same stuff on the general merchandise stands. Dunno, maybe people were paying an extra tenner for a Ferrari carrier bag.

Personally I've never shown much interest as I don't fancy being seen as billboard, however this year saw the Robert Kubica t-shirt which was quite understated and very stylish so in an act of patriotism I bought that and the Kubica cap. £55 in total.

[bella]

i've got a cute bmw top that has teeny tiny writing saying what team it's for - i mostly liked the design, same with a slightly overbranded but nice all the same toro rosso top. i'd not be seen dead in these at anything other than a f1 race, and the irony is that i don't support the teams particularly. but as a girl, i reserve the right to buy stuff i think is nice

my friend, on the other hand, is an avid buyer of driver baseball caps. she does wear them but really, they're not stylish, they're on the whole ugly, and they don't suit anyone. including the driver who has to wear them.

[Mr V]

Moving a thread to armchair doesn't always get the attention the thread start hoped for

[Knowlesy]

That's the thing with motorsport merchandise really bella....it's just unfeasible to wear it outside of a race track! I have only ever worn the McLaren top in everyday life, but it does look reasonably smart.

But the Renault fleece I would simply be embarrassed to wear. It is so bright I look like a smurf and that is not good at all.

Driver caps, yep, never wear them! I've bought all of JPM's over the years and have only worn them at the track too.

It's only as I type this that I realise how pointless buying team merchandise is.

[bella]

you see, i'd only ever wear my stuff *away* from a race track... there's no chance in hell i'd be seen at brands hatch wearing f1 billy kit! it's like people who go to touring cars and wave jenson button flags...

[mountainstar]

Looking at the latest speedgear catalog some of the T-shirts are going for $72. Uh sorry I am not spending that on a t-shirt. $20, or $25 maybe but $72?

[luke]

I paid £29 on the Lewis Hamilton Mclaren sponsors t-shirt he wears. Very snazz. I always seem to get someone wave at me or stick their thumb up from a passing car. lol

[OVERSTEER]

I can't say i'm a big fan of motorsport clothing, paying to advertise gear for the sponsors of the teams you've just bought clothing off, however I do have a Micheal Andretti/Team Motorola Cap and a Damon Hill/Jordan Cap, they were cheap from the Autosport show. I did see a Minardi shirt with all the sponsor logos on, from about 2003 at the Formula one shop in the Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield, but didn't want to part with £45 for it, it looked cool though!

[TSR]

It's not just happening Europe with F1, I have complaining for years here in Aus about the overpriced V8supertaxi gear.

And even the online F1 is pretty over priced.

[SALEEN S7R]

Well I've got quite a bit of motorsport related clothing ranging from stuff id not be seen out dead in unless I was at a track like a bright red Ferrari team shirt I have ranging to a Repsol Honda Moto GP team t shirt which actually to be honest is pretty cool I think. Sure it has branding but well I think its stylishly done. Apart from that Ive got a Vitaphone racing team Jacket, again I would wear this outside of a racing circuit, its a great quality jacket and there isnt a big ammount of branding just the team logo on one side and a Maserati badge on the other and a small Vitaphone logo on the back.

Personally I find that once you get away from the F1 merchandise stuff from other series is reasonably priced.