Ayrton Senna’s 1991 McLaren up for auction in December

Ayrton Senna’s race-winning McLaren MP4/6 from the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix – perhaps one of the most celebrated cars in Formula One history – is set to go under the hammer through RM Sotheby’s in December.

The chassis, numbered MP4/6/1, is the car that carried Senna to his first home victory at Interlagos — a race remembered for his sheer determination and grit as he nursed the car across the finish line, stuck in sixth gear for the final laps.

“It wasn’t the greatest win of my life,” Senna reflected afterward. “But it was the hardest-fought one.”

Built as the prototype for McLaren’s 1991 F1 campaign, MP4/6/1 was the first of 11 examples produced and introduced the Honda V12 engine that powered Senna to his third and final world championship title.

This particular chassis holds the rare distinction of winning its only Grand Prix start, giving it an unblemished record in competition.

Beyond its race victory, MP4/6/1 served as a factory development car throughout the 1991 season, tested by Senna, teammate Gerhard Berger and McLaren’s official test drivers.

It was retired from duty in October 1991 and remained in McLaren’s collection for nearly three decades before being recommissioned by McLaren Heritage after its sale to a private owner in 2020.

The MP4/6 stands as a landmark in F1 history as it’s the last car with a manual transmission to win a World Championship, and the final chapter in the dominant McLaren-Honda partnership of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

RM Sotheby’s confirmed it will offer the car exclusively through its Sealed platform, with bidding set to open on December 8 and close on December 11. The McLaren carries an estimated value of between $12m (R209.2m) and $15m (R261.5m).

For collectors, the sale represents a rare opportunity to acquire a machine that captures the essence of Senna’s genius, McLaren’s engineering excellence and the raw, mechanical purity that defined an era of F1.