McLaren is selling five historic Formula 1 cars from its heritage collection through dealer Tom Hartley Jnr. The group includes two 1991 Ayrton Senna cars and Brad Pitt’s movie chassis.

The cars sell individually, with reported combined value between £25 million and $50 million. Unlike Bernie Ecclestone’s one-buyer deal, McLaren prioritizes placement over speed of sale.

Hartley, noted for placing significant grand prix machinery, frames this as a curated release rather than a clearance, aligning with McLaren’s evolving heritage strategy.

The headline pieces are two 1991 McLaren MP4/6As, chassis 04 and 07, from Senna’s final title season, when Honda power underpinned the team’s decisive execution.

Both cars were tested by Senna and raced by Gerhard Berger, giving the pair meaningful contemporary mileage and provenance within McLaren’s most storied era.

The 2012 MP4/27A, chassis 01, represents Lewis Hamilton’s final McLaren year. That season, Jenson Button won three races and Hamilton four, underscoring strong but inconsistent race-day conversion.

The 2021 MCL35M, chassis 01, includes Lando Norris’s Monaco podium and the celebrated Gulf livery. It also delivered Monza’s 1-2, with Daniel Ricciardo leading Norris for McLaren’s first win since 2012.

The newest car is the 2023 MCL37A, chassis 03, raced by Norris and Oscar Piastri. It also served for Brad Pitt’s on-track filming at Austin during production of the movie “F1.”

Hartley describes that MCL37A as the most recent McLaren F1 car ever sold privately, underlining the rarity of modern-era machinery leaving a works collection.

McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown frames the sale as activating history rather than storing it. The aim is for these cars to run, be seen, and contribute to the heritage business.

That position fits McLaren’s push to tell its story dynamically while it faces pressure to balance present-day F1 performance with commercial and legacy objectives.

McLaren will prepare each chassis before handover, ensuring condition for display or demonstration. For the most modern cars, operating them typically requires manufacturer support, software access, and specialist running procedures.

Hartley stresses there is no rush. One collector could acquire the set, but the priority is fit. The cars’ diversity broadens appeal across eras and collecting philosophies.

Strategically, realizing value from heritage assets can reinforce program funding and focus. It also matches McLaren’s recent modest F1 warning on expectations while continuing future planning, including a potential 2027 F1 test horizon.

For collectors, this is uncommon access to Senna-era hardware, a Hamilton-season chassis, a Monza-winning platform’s sibling, and a car with mainstream cultural visibility.

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Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.