Last week, at the McLaren Winter Ball, the final McLaren Senna was auctioned to raise funds for the Ayrton Senna Institute. The hardcore driver’s McLaren had a final unallocated build sport which formed the basis of the auction. The 500th McLaren Senna raised a staggering £2,000,000 for the non-profit organisation which helps to provide education to underprivileged children.
The McLaren Senna was revealed to the world for the first time last Saturday nights. The auction took place under former RM Sotheby’s auctioneer, Max Girardo’s watch. The final hammer price represents a price three times the UK list price of the Senna.
Mike Flewitt, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Automotive said “The McLaren Senna is the personification of McLaren’s motorsport DNA, designed without compromise to excel on a race circuit, but legalised for road use. Only 500 will be built and to raise such a significant sum at auction for a cause as worthy as the Instituto Ayrton Senna – the foundation that cherishes the legacy of one of McLaren’s greatest Formula 1 racing drivers – is both a genuine pleasure for McLaren and a testament to the desirability of our new Ultimate Series car.”
The McLaren Senna is the lightest McLaren since the McLaren F1. It weighs in at just 1,198kg (2,641lbs). It is underpinned by a Monocage III chassis with every panel built from carbon fibre and optimised for weight.
McLaren admit that the design is fragmented and not easy to look at. It has been designed with a pure focus on aerodynamics and downforce. McLaren claim you “cannot follow a single line from the front to the rear without it passing through a functional air intake or vent”.
Underneath the extreme bodywork sits a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8, the most powerful McLaren road car internal combustion engine ever. It produces a stunning 800PS (789bhp) and 800Nm (590 lb ft) of torque. The power-to-weight ratio of 668PS-per-tonne is guaranteed to produce staggering performance.
