McLaren is letting five of its legendary F1 cars out into the wild

McLaren is parting ways with five cars from its heritage collection, including two examples of the only V12 championship-winning Formula 1 car, and what will be the most modern F1 car to go into private hands.

All five cars have been retained by McLaren since they raced, and will be offered in full running order, with continued support from the team.

“We have decided to part with these iconic McLaren Formula 1 cars because we feel that having them simply sitting in storage is a disservice to what they represent,” said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. “These cars were built to be driven and raced, and we want to see them being used and enjoyed.

“We believe that is the best way to keep our history alive and our heritage business active.”

READ MORE: The inner workings of McLaren's heritage operation

Top of the list are two MP4/6s: chassis numbers 04 and 07. The former was raced by Gerhard Berger in the 1991 season, including at Imola where he was part of a McLaren 1-2 in which he and race winner Ayrton Senna lapped the entire field. Senna also tested the car.

The latter was another tested by Senna and raced by Berger, with a highlight being second at the British Grand Prix. Both were powered by Honda's RA121E naturally aspirated V12 engine, which in that year gained the important distinction of being the only V12 to win the Formula 1 world championship – 12 cylinder championship winners of the Italian variety were only ever flat 12s.

Gerhard Berger raced MP4/6-04 to second palce at the 1991 San Marino Grand Prix in what was a crushing 1-2 for McLaren.Ercole Colombo/Studio Colombo/Getty Images

The next car moves forward a couple of decades. The MP4-27 was McLaren's challenger for the 2012 season and chassis no. 1, the car on offer, was raced by Jenson Button, while also being tested by Lewis Hamilton earlier in the year. The car has remained at McLaren since the conclusion of the 2012 season, and will undergo a full restoration and repreparation before being handed over to its new owner.

The last two are more recent V6 turbo hybrids. The 2021 MCL35M marked the start of a resurgence for McLaren, building on the two podium finishes from the season before to become a regular contender. Another chassis No.01, the car being offered for sale, was raced exclusively by Lando Norris and finished on the podium at Imola, Monaco, and Monza. At Monaco it donned the famous colors of Gulf Oil, the livery which it wears today.

Finally, McLaren MCL37 (also known as the MCL60 to commemorate the company's 60th anniversary), chassis No. 03, is set to be the most modern F1 car to make its way into private hands to date – an example of this year's MCL40 was sold at RM Sotheby's Abu Dhabi auction last year, but won't be delivered to its owner until the end of the first quarter of 2028 (a show car being leased to the buyer in the meantime), whereas this 2023 car will be available right away.

Chassis No. 03 was another example raced only by Norris, and claimed consecutive second-place finishes at the Singapore Grand Prix and Japanese Grand Prix as McLaren laid the foundations for what would then be back-to-back constructors' championship winning seasons.

But while Norris was the only driver to race the car, the list of who's driven it since it finished racing is quite remarkable.

Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri got behind the wheel as part of McLaren's Testing of Previous Car program, as did Arrow McLaren IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward and fellow designated reserve drivers (through McLaren's association with engine supplier Mercedes) Mick Schumacher and Valtteri Bottas also got seat time. Driver-turned-broadcaster Martin Brundle and actor Brad Pitt also drove it as part of a feature for Sky's television coverage filmed at Circuit of the Americas.

MCL37-03 is set to be the most modern F1 car immediately available to a private buyer. Andy Hone/Getty Images

Entrusted with the sale is Tom Hartley Jnr, one of the world’s most respected dealers in high-end classic and historic sports cars and racing cars, who has sold many a McLaren racing car previously, as well as F1 cars from the likes of Williams and Ferrari.

“Tom Hartley Jnr is the person we have entrusted to handle the sale,” said Brown. “Few people understand the Formula One car market as well as Tom does, and nobody is more active within it today. We were also very impressed by the way he handled the sale of the Ecclestone Grand Prix Collection, and McLaren has worked with him successfully for many years.”

Hartley added, “I’m very excited to bring this opportunity to market. It is incredibly rare for a collector to have the opportunity to acquire race-driven Grand Prix cars directly from the manufacturer and team that built and campaigned them, and that makes this a very special offering.

“We have a great relationship with McLaren and have worked closely with Zak and his team for many years, assisting them with a number of sales. However, to now be able to publicly offer these cars directly on McLaren’s behalf is very exciting, and I’m personally looking forward to finding great homes for them.

Hartley previously handled the sale of Bernie Ecclestone’s extensive collection of grand prix cars, as well as the collection of the late McLaren co-owner Mansour Ojjeh.

“When we handled the sales of both the Ecclestone Grand Prix Collection and the Ojjeh Collection, there was significant interest in acquiring individual cars, but ultimately both collections were sold in their entirety to single buyers,” he said. “There is of course every possibility that the same could happen here. However, these five cars will be offered individually and there is no time pressure whatsoever. Our priority, and McLaren’s, is to find the right homes for them.

”I’m very grateful to McLaren for entrusting my business with these sales. We are extremely active within the Grand Prix car market and appreciate more than most just how special it is to own a race-driven Formula One car.

“The personnel, technology, and innovation that go into creating a Formula One car far exceed anything found in a road car, and for me this is where the automotive world comes closest to the traditional art world. Values have moved considerably in recent years, but I still believe this market has a long way to go.”