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A Honda NSX previously owned by three-time World Champion Ayrton Senna recently sold at a London auction for £871,250, joining a long list of extraordinary road cars with Formula 1 connections that have gone under the hammer.
Ayrton Senna’s Special Honda NSX
Senna’s connection with Honda began during his stint with Lotus in 1987 and deepened when he joined the Honda-powered McLaren team to win his first World Championship. As reported by Latest F1 News (formula1.com), the Brazilian driver provided valuable feedback during the development of the NSX. By early 1991, Senna had access to a red NSX for personal use in Portugal, where he drove it to the Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril. The vehicle later featured in the 1992 documentary Ayrton Senna: Racing Is In My Blood and gained fame through photographs of Senna washing it himself. Over 35 years after its registration, the car was sold at RM Sotheby’s The London Auction.
Niki Lauda’s Ferrari Welcome Gift
When Niki Lauda signed with Ferrari ahead of the 1974 season, he received a 1973 Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2 by Pininfarina as a welcome gift. Completed in December 1973, Lauda became the first owner of the silver car, which featured a 4.4-litre V12 engine and a five-speed manual gearbox. High import costs in Austria prompted Lauda to part with the vehicle in 1975. Following years of storage and a repaint during the 1980s, the car was restored to roadworthy condition and sold for €201,250 at RM Sotheby’s Munich auction.
Daniel Ricciardo’s Aston Martin Valkyrie
After leaving Formula 1, Daniel Ricciardo put his 2023 Aston Martin Valkyrie up for sale. Developed jointly by Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing with input from Adrian Newey, Ricciardo commissioned chassis number 089 to his exact specifications, finishing the hypercar in ‘Badger Blue’ as a tribute to his nickname. Describing the vehicle, Ricciardo said as quoted by Latest F1 News (formula1.com): “It feels like a race car and it looks like a race car. I’m not used to having a roof over my head, but that’s the only thing that really feels different, otherwise, it’s a pretty straight-up race car.” Having covered just 160km, the car was sold by Broad Arrow Auctions at the Zoute Concours Auction for €2.12 million.
Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren F1
Lewis Hamilton is widely reported to own a 1995 McLaren F1, chassis 044, which fetched $15.62 million at the Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction in 2017. As the 37th road-going F1 built, chassis 044 holds the distinction of being the first imported into the United States and the first to achieve full road-legal status there. The McLaren F1 traces its roots back to 1988, when Gordon Murray, Ron Dennis, Mansour Ojjeh, and Creighton Brown envisioned the ultimate road car following a dominant 15-win F1 season for McLaren, combining a central driving position with a naturally aspirated V12 and carbon-fibre construction.
Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher Auction Highlights
Fernando Alonso has also cleared space in his garage by auctioning notable vehicles, including his 2002 Ferrari Enzo, which was Chassis No. 1 and had driven just 4,800km. The car sold for £4,500,000. He additionally parted with his 2022 McLaren Elva, numbered 114 to match his race number 14, with the buyer receiving the keys directly from Alonso. Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher’s 1996 Ferrari F355 GTS was previously put up for auction featuring a large signature from the seven-time World Champion on the back of the driver’s seat.
