McLaren is selling five fully functioning Formula 1 cars driven by some of its biggest names, including Ayrton Senna, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, in a rare opportunity for collectors to acquire machinery directly from the team.
The collection, spanning 32 years of McLaren history, is being offered through luxury car dealer Tom Hartley Jr. The cars are expected to fetch between £5 million and £10 million each, potentially raising tens of millions of pounds for the reigning Formula 1 Constructors’ Champions.
Among the five is a 2023 McLaren driven by Hollywood star Brad Pitt during a private test at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, following his starring role in F1 the Movie.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown explained the decision to release the cars from the team’s collection rather than leave them in storage.
Brown said: “We have decided to part with these iconic McLaren Formula One cars because we feel that having them simply sitting in storage is a disservice to what they represent.
“These cars were built to be driven and raced, and we want to see them being used and enjoyed. We believe that is the best way to keep our history alive and our heritage business active.”
Senna’s 1991 McLarens among the prized cars
The oldest cars in the collection are two McLaren MP4/6A machines, chassis 04 and 07, powered by Honda V12 engines and raced during the team’s championship-winning 1991 campaign.
Both were raced by Gerhard Berger and tested by Senna, who claimed his third and final Formula 1 World Championship that season.
Chassis 04 finished second at the San Marino Grand Prix, completing a McLaren 1-2 in which the team lapped the entire field. Chassis 07 finished runner-up at the British Grand Prix, McLaren’s home race.
Both cars have remained in McLaren’s possession since 1991, making their release particularly significant for collectors interested in the Senna era.
Also available is a 2012 McLaren MP4/27A, chassis 01, raced by 2009 World Champion Jenson Button and tested by seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Hamilton.
The remaining two cars represent McLaren’s more recent history and were raced by Norris during the 2021 and 2023 seasons.
The 2021 MCL35M carried Norris to podium finishes at Imola, Monaco and Monza, while the 2023 MCL37A-03 formed part of McLaren’s resurgence during that campaign.
The latter also participated in post-season testing with several drivers, including Oscar Piastri and Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher.
Brad Pitt’s 197mph McLaren test adds Hollywood connection
The 2023 McLaren has another unusual distinction, having been driven by Pitt during a private test at Austin in June 2025.
The Hollywood actor reportedly reached 197mph (317kph) during the session, which followed his work on F1 the Movie.
It is also described as the most modern Formula 1 car offered for sale to a private owner, adding another dimension to its potential value.
Hartley Jr., who previously handled the sale of Bernie Ecclestone’s historic F1 collection and 20 road cars belonging to the late McLaren co-owner Mansour Ojjeh, believes the offering represents an exceptional opportunity.
Hartley said: “It is incredibly rare for a collector to have the opportunity to acquire race-driven Grand Prix cars directly from the manufacturer and team that built and campaigned them, and that makes this a very special offering.
“These five cars will be offered individually and there is no time pressure whatsoever. Our priority, and McLaren’s, is to find the right homes for them.”
No official asking prices have been disclosed, although estimates suggest individual values could reach £10 million.
For comparison, Hamilton’s race-winning 2010 McLaren MP4-25A sold for £4.8 million in 2021, while a Ferrari driven to victory by Schumacher in 2001 fetched $7.5 million at auction in New York in 2017.
Unlike many historic racing cars sold into private collections, McLaren intends to prepare all five machines for their new owners, ensuring they remain operational.
For Brown and McLaren, the sale is about more than their considerable financial value. The intention is to return these historic machines to the track, where their engines, performance and racing heritage can be experienced rather than simply admired in storage. (Source: Reuters)