News Summary
- McLaren is offering five historic Formula 1 cars for sale, with estimated values ranging from £5 million to £10 million each.
- The collection includes two 1991 cars tested by Ayrton Senna, a 2012 McLaren tested by Lewis Hamilton and two cars raced by Lando Norris.
- Brad Pitt drove the 2023 McLaren at Circuit of The Americas, reportedly reaching 317km/h during a private test connected to F1: The Movie.
McLaren has announced the sale of five fully operational Formula 1 cars associated with Ayrton Senna, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Lando Norris and Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, opening part of its historic collection to private buyers in a deal that could be worth tens of millions of pounds.
The British manufacturer confirmed on Sunday, October 18, that the cars will be offered individually through luxury vehicle specialist Tom Hartley Jr. The collection spans more than three decades, from the Honda-powered MP4/6 used during McLaren’s championship-winning 1991 campaign to a 2023 machine driven by Norris and later tested by Pitt.
The cars are expected to attract offers ranging from £5 million to £10 million each, although McLaren has not announced fixed asking prices. All five will be prepared by the team before being delivered to their new owners, allowing the historic machines to remain operational rather than becoming static museum exhibits.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown explained that the decision was motivated by the desire to preserve the cars through continued use.
“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,” Brown said in a statement reported by Reuters.
Two Senna-tested McLarens from 1991 headline the collection
The oldest cars in the sale are two McLaren MP4/6A chassis from 1991, both powered by Honda’s naturally aspirated V12 engine and associated with the season in which Senna secured his third and final Formula 1 world championship.
Chassis 04 and 07 were raced by Gerhard Berger and also tested by Senna during the campaign. Both have remained in McLaren’s possession since 1991.
The first car finished second at the San Marino Grand Prix, where McLaren completed a dominant one-two result and lapped the entire field. The second took Berger to second place at the British Grand Prix, one of the team’s home events.
The distinction is important for collectors: the cars were tested by Senna but raced by Berger. Neither is being presented as the specific chassis in which Senna won the 1991 championship.
The MP4/6 is among the most recognisable Formula 1 cars of its era, combining McLaren’s red-and-white Marlboro-era design with Honda’s V12 engine. It represents the final championship-winning season of Senna’s career and the closing stages of Formula 1’s naturally aspirated V12 period.
McLaren’s history with Senna continues to attract attention beyond the collector market. Earlier this season, Fernando Alonso drove Senna’s historic McLaren MP4/4 and Toleman at Barcelona, alongside the McLaren he raced in 2007.
Hamilton-tested 2012 McLaren also goes on sale
The third car is the McLaren MP4/27A chassis 01 from 2012, a machine raced by Jenson Button and tested by Lewis Hamilton during their final season together at the team.
The MP4/27 was one of McLaren’s most competitive cars of that championship, securing multiple Grand Prix victories as Button and Hamilton challenged Red Bull, Ferrari and Lotus.
Hamilton subsequently left McLaren to join Mercedes for 2013, beginning the partnership that would produce six of his seven world championships.
The car offered for sale therefore represents one of the final chapters of Hamilton’s McLaren career, although the chassis’ documented race history belongs to Button.
For collectors, the association with two world champions makes the car particularly significant, especially because McLaren will prepare it for operation.
Brad Pitt’s 317km/h McLaren joins Norris race cars
The two most recent cars in the collection were raced by Lando Norris during the 2021 and 2023 Formula 1 seasons.
The 2021 MCL35M carried Norris to podium finishes at Imola, Monaco and Monza, during a campaign in which McLaren also secured its first Grand Prix victory in nearly a decade.
The fifth car, the 2023 MCL37A-03, has an unusual history that extends beyond the championship itself.
It was driven by Norris during the season and subsequently tested by several drivers, including Oscar Piastri and Mick Schumacher. McLaren also made the car available to Brad Pitt for a private test at Circuit of The Americas in June 2025, connected to his starring role in F1: The Movie.
According to the information reported by Reuters, Pitt reached approximately 197mph, equivalent to 317km/h, during the test.
That association makes the 2023 car particularly attractive to collectors interested in the intersection of Formula 1, cinema and contemporary popular culture.
It is also the most recent McLaren Formula 1 car in the collection being offered to private buyers.
Which five McLaren F1 cars are for sale?
| Year | Car / Chassis | Historic connection |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | MP4/6A — 04 | Raced by G. BERGER; tested by A. SENNA |
| 1991 | MP4/6A — 07 | Raced by G. BERGER; tested by A. SENNA |
| 2012 | MP4/27A — 01 | Raced by J. BUTTON; tested by L. HAMILTON |
| 2021 | MCL35M | Raced by L. NORRIS |
| 2023 | MCL37A — 03 | Raced by L. NORRIS; later tested by B. PITT and other drivers |
The £5 million–£10 million estimated price range refers to individual cars. McLaren has not disclosed a fixed asking price for each chassis.
McLaren explains why it is selling historic F1 machinery
McLaren has appointed Tom Hartley Jr. to manage the sales. The specialist previously handled Bernie Ecclestone’s Formula 1 collection and historic road cars belonging to former McLaren shareholder Mansour Ojjeh.
Hartley emphasised the rarity of obtaining Grand Prix cars directly from the team that built and raced them, rather than through an auction or a succession of private owners.
He also explained that the cars would be offered individually, without a fixed deadline for completing the sales.
McLaren’s decision comes during a period in which its historic racing collection has attracted renewed attention. The team recently announced a project to restore and digitise archival material, including engineering records and documents associated with Senna’s years at Woking.
The manufacturer has also continued expanding its modern racing activities. McLaren recently signed Alex Lynn for its 2027 WEC Hypercar programme, preparing to challenge for overall victory at Le Mans.
In Formula 1, the team enters the United States Grand Prix weekend attempting to defend third place in the Constructors’ Championship against a resurgent Red Bull. McLaren’s recent decline has become an important part of the battle heading into Austin, where the championship resumes on October 23–25.
