Ayrton Senna’s Grand Prix-winning McLaren set to fetch up to £11.4m at auction

A McLaren Formula One car piloted by Ayrton Senna to win the Brazilian Grand Prix is heading under the hammer at auction next month.

The MP4/6 – chassis number MP4/6/1 – was the car which helped Senna deliver his first home victory and took him onwards to his third and final Formula 1 World Championship win.

Driven by Senna, Gerhard Berger and McLaren factory drivers through 1991, the MP4/6 is powered by a Honda V12 engine and was retained by the British company for nearly 30 years before being recommissioned by McLaren Heritage prior to the sale to its current and only private owner.

Nick Wiles, RM Sotheby’s car specialist, said: “Few figures in motorsport have captured the world’s imagination like Ayrton Senna.

“Anything connected to him, a helmet, a suit, even something he once touched, has become sacred to collectors. Senna transcended the role of driver long before his tragic passing; he became an icon. But even within that realm, there are levels, and this car sits at the very top.

“The McLaren MP4/6 that carried him to victory at his home Grand Prix in Brazil, in what Senna himself called the ‘hardest-fought race of his life,’ represents the pinnacle of Formula 1 collecting. It’s difficult to imagine anything more significant or more desirable to a collector.”

The MP4/6 will be available to buy via RM Sotheby’s auction which starts on December 8 and closes on December 11. Pre-sale estimates for the car stand at between $12m and $15m (£9.1m-£11.4m). The car will also be displayed at upcoming RM Sotheby’s auctions in London and Abu Dhabi.