AN OUTRAGEOUS collection of McLaren supercars valued at an estimated £50 million are set to be sold following the death of their owner – a motorsport icon closely tied to the McLaren Formula One team.
The fleet of cars, one of the largest McLaren collections in the world, belonged to Mansour Ojjeh, a French-Saudi entrepreneur who was the former owner of TAG Heuer and a major shareholder in the McLaren Group.
The businessman spent four decades working in F1 and helped transform the British team into one of the sport’s greatest ever in terms of success and standing.
He also played a key role in launching their line of road cars, which started with the mythical McLaren F1 in 1992.
But Ojjeh passed away at the age of 68 in June 2021, leaving behind his personal collection of 20 pristine McLarens – with all of them said to be the final chassis number of each model.
They include iconic machines such as the Speedtail, P1, Senna and, naturally, the F1, considered the collection’s ‘jewel in the crown’.
His family has now decided the time is right for his range of high-performance motors to be sold to a new home, with leading classic car dealer, Tom Hartley Jnr, appointed by the Ojjeh’s family to facilitate the sale.
While the F1 model has covered just 1,810km and the P1 GTR was used occasionally during McLaren track days, every other car remains unused in factory-delivered condition.
They were also maintained under direct instruction by McLaren itself, which is a service no other collector has ever received.
Parting with this very personal collection is not easy
Kathy Ojjeh, widow of Mansour Ojjeh
As reported by Motorsport.com, Kathy Ojjeh, widow of Mansour Ojjeh, said: “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.
“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.
“He had an unusual talent for detail that stuns and impresses, a talent driven by the very passion he nurtured for so many years with McLaren.
“Parting with this very personal collection is not easy, but it is time for it to go to its new custodian, one who truly ‘gets it’ and will cherish owning and caring for it the way Mansour did.”
Hartley Jnr added: “I’m truly humbled that the Ojjeh family has entrusted my business with the sale of their incredible collection.
“I had the privilege of meeting Mansour on a few occasions, and his attention to detail and appreciation for the finer things in life are clearly reflected in the collection that remains today.
“Offering this collection for sale would be extraordinary in its own right, but the fact that it comes from the home of one of McLaren Automotive’s founding figures, a man so instrumental in McLaren’s Formula 1 success, makes it truly unrepeatable.”
This isn’t Hartley Jnr’s first rodeo, as earlier this year he sold Bernie Ecclestone’s collection of 69 historic Grand Prix and F1 cars for approximately £500m, making it one of the biggest car deals in history.
The 41-year-old, who counts billionaires and royalty in his exclusive book of contacts, eventually flogged the cars to Mark Mateschitz, the billionaire co-owner of the Red Bull energy drink firm.
He added: “For me, the highlight of the collection is, of course, the F1.
This is the most significant McLaren road car collection ever assembled
Tom Hartley Jnr
“It’s widely regarded as the greatest road car ever built, and this particular example is the very last one produced.
“It has only just over 1,800km from new and comes directly from Mansour Ojjeh, who, alongside Bruce McLaren and Ron Dennis, was instrumental in shaping the history of the marque.
“I have no doubt this will fetch a world record price for the model when it’s sold.
“There are so many other remarkable cars in the collection, each one completely unique and the final example of its model ever built.
“One especially poignant example is the Elva, delivered after Mansour’s passing.
“In an extraordinary gesture of respect, McLaren replaced the manufacturer’s badges on the front and rear with Mansour’s own emblem – a tribute to one of their founders.
“This is the most significant McLaren road car collection ever assembled, and I sincerely hope it is acquired by a single buyer, just as the Ecclestone Grand Prix collection was which we sold earlier this year.”
Each car is also notably finished in ‘Yquem’ – a unique shade likened to orange or Papaya – which McLaren subsequently renamed ‘Mansour Orange’.
Reports suggest the collection could sell for more than $70m – which is roughly £50m.
THE FUTURE’S ORANGE
This comes as, back in April, it was revealed McLaren were setting plans to break 62 years of tradition by merging with a luxury EV brand – with an aim to expand its model range beyond supercars.
It could see the iconic British marque begin to produce SUVs and other types of vehicles – much like rivals Porsche, Aston Martin and Lamborghini have done in recent years.
McLaren Automotive, which is a separate entity from their famous F1 team, was sold to Abu Dhabi investment group CYVN Holdings back in December.
But CYVN also backs a number of other brands, including British EV start-up Forseven and Chinese EV maker Nio.
Reports suggest they now plan to merge McLaren with Forseven in a radical makeover, enabling McLaren to widen its model range beyond supercars, including the potential introduction of SUVs.
McLaren has suffered financial losses in recent years and has engaged in talks with several other carmakers to form partnerships and to secure new funding.
However, these talks failed to materialise and brought about negotiations with CYVN.
British brands such as Bentley and Aston Martin, and their Italian rivals Ferrari and Lamborghini, have all built SUVs and launched SUV-sized models in recent years.
These in turn have helped increase their sales and profits.
Porsche, another luxury carmaker famed for its sports cars, infamously produced the Cayenne in 2002 to a mixed reception.
However, the high-performance SUV has been a mighty success for the company and ensured their financial stability in the 2000s.
” 
– keep grinding buddy, you’ve got this! A big community out there who will always help and support 
” 
