Massive McLaren collection sold

Fresh from selling Bernie Ecclestone’s collection of 69 historic Grand Prix and Formula 1 cars earlier this year, Tom Hartley Jnr has brokered a similarly important sale with a strong F1 connection. In August, Mansour Ojjeh’s 20-car collection was sold, made up entirely of McLaren road cars.

Ojjeh, a Saudi-born, US-educated French citizen who passed away in 2021, was CEO of TAG and sponsored the Williams F1 team for a period before buying a stake in the McLaren Group and McLaren’s F1 team in 1984. Despite some rancor and a major falling out with McLaren’s Ron Dennis in later years, Ojjeh’s involvement with the team would achieve great success.

During the ’80s, ’90s and ’00s, McLaren won ten Drivers’ and seven Constructors’ World Championships in Formula 1. While McLaren’s driver lineup included some of the greatest names in the sport at the time – Lauda, Senna, Prost, Hakkinen and Hamilton – Ojjeh played a major role, too.

Ojjeh was also instrumental in establishing the road car and research divisions of the company - McLaren Automotive and McLaren Applied Technologies – which in turn led to the release of the McLaren F1 in 1992. Prior to this, Ojjeh had built up a world-class collection of Ferrari road cars and attempted to get a Williams road car off the ground. While this never eventuated, Ojjeh’s passion came to fruition with McLaren and led to what would to be regarded as the ultimate collection of McLaren cars.

Noteworthy features on Ojjeh’s McLarens include the fact that all 20 units were the last examples built, each carrying the ‘final’ chassis number. Additionally, every car in the collection was finished, partly or wholly, in a unique colour called ‘Yquem’. Named after a French wine, this colour was later renamed ‘Mansour Orange’ and remained exclusive to Ojjeh’s cars. 

With the exception of the F1 and P1 GTR, the collection was never driven by Ojjeh, but all had been regularly maintained by McLaren, meaning they were road-ready when the sale was announced in June.

“McLaren meant so much to Mansour. It was more than business, it was pure passion and it was in that vein that he curated this unique collection of McLaren road cars,” said Ojjeh’s widow, Kathy. “The ‘Last of Legends’ car collection is a treasure for our family – a reminder of the hours we witnessed Mansour designing each car to his specifications.”  

Along with the last F1 built, Ojjeh’s collection included final examples of the Speedtail, Elva, P1 GTR, Sabre and multiple Senna variants.

While no valuations had been provided by the Ojjeh family or Tom Hartley Jnr, the 20-car collection was estimated to be worth anywhere from US$70 million to US$100 million (AU$105M - $152M approx.). The F1 alone would account for a large proportion of this estimated total, as these cars are now valued at around AU$30 million each.

In late August, Harley Jnr announced the sale of the Mansour Ojjeh McLaren collection had been completed, with all 20 cars going to a single anonymous buyer for an undisclosed price. Despite numerous requests from enthusiasts for individual cars, including world record offers for the F1, the Ojjeh family and Tom Hartley Jnr were committed to keeping the collection together and selling it as one unit.

“To have been entrusted with the sale of this extraordinary collection by the Ojjeh family has been a true privilege,” said Tom Hartley Jnr. “This is not just a sale – it is the important and respectful transfer of a legacy. The Mansour Ojjeh collection represents the very best of what McLaren stands for – innovation, individuality, quality and excellence.”

Hartley Jnr thanked the Ojjeh family for trusting him with the sale, as well as McLaren for its role in nurturing the collection.