McLaren announced on Sunday, 18 October 2026 that it is selling five fully functioning Formula One cars from its heritage collection, machines raced by champions including Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and the late Ayrton Senna, with one also tested at speed by Hollywood actor Brad Pitt.
According to RNZ, the cars will be sold through high-end dealer Tom Hartley Jr. and are expected to raise tens of millions of dollars, with individual price tags estimated between 5 million pounds (NZ$11.8 million) and 10 million pounds (NZ$23.4 million). McLaren, the reigning constructors' champions, will prepare each car for its next owner.
Why McLaren is letting five pieces of its history go
The decision to sell rather than store is the heart of the story. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said the team felt that keeping the cars locked away did 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,” Brown said in a statement. “We believe that is the best way to keep our history alive and our heritage business active.”
It is a refreshingly hands-on approach to motorsport history. Rather than treating these machines as untouchable museum pieces, McLaren wants them running, roaring and, ideally, back on track where the public can see them.
What is actually for sale
The five cars span 32 years of McLaren history, starting with two MP4/6A chassis (numbers 04 and 07), powered by Honda V12 engines and raced by Austrian Gerhard Berger during the 1991 title-winning campaign, with Senna also testing them. Chassis 04 finished second in a one-two at the San Marino Grand Prix, a race so dominant that the McLarens lapped the entire field. Chassis 07 came second at McLaren's home British Grand Prix. Both have remained in McLaren's possession ever since.
A 2012 MP4/27A (chassis 01), raced by 2009 world champion Jenson Button and tested by seven-times world champion Hamilton, is also on offer.
Two cars raced exclusively by reigning world champion Lando Norris complete the group. The 2021 MCL35M took Norris to the podium at Imola, Monaco and Monza, while the 2023 MCL37A-03 won successive races in Singapore and Japan. That 2023 car was tested post-season by a roster of drivers including Norris's teammate Oscar Piastri and Mick Schumacher, son of F1 great Michael.
The Brad Pitt connection
The 2023 McLaren carries the most modern provenance of the lot. Pitt drove it in a private test at Austin's Circuit of the Americas in June last year in connection with his starring role in “F1 the Movie”, reportedly reaching 197mph (317kph). It is the most modern F1 car ever offered for sale to a private owner, as