When a collection transcends the realm of cars and becomes a true cultural legacy, it deserves to remain intact. That’s precisely what has happened with the extraordinary Mansour Ojjeh McLaren Collection, which has now been sold in its entirety through renowned specialist Tom Hartley Jnr.
This is more than just another high-profile sale. It is the second once-in-a-lifetime transaction Hartley has managed in recent months, following the headline-making deal for Bernie Ecclestone’s 69-strong Grand Prix and Formula 1 collection. That treasure trove, steeped in motorsport history, was sold to Red Bull heir Mark Mateschitz.
Now, in a different but equally significant way, Ojjeh’s McLaren portfolio has found a single custodian—one who will remain anonymous, but has acquired arguably the greatest gathering of modern McLaren road cars in existence.
A Collection Like No Other
The Mansour Ojjeh McLaren Collection is defined by its unrepeatable philosophy: every car is the very last chassis of its respective model. Twenty cars in total, all wearing McLaren’s badge, and nearly all in untouched, factory-fresh condition.
While we do think cars are meant to be used both on the road and track, this collection is a bit different. It was curated to be more of a statement of permanence. At its centre lies one of the most mythical McLarens of all time: the final McLaren F1 ever built. Finished in a bespoke shade created for Ojjeh—originally “Yquem,” now universally known as “Mansour Orange.”
This McLaren F1 is the ultimate iteration of Gordon Murray’s 1990s masterpiece. Given that McLaren built just 64 road-going F1s, owning the very last is akin to owning the final brushstroke of a da Vinci.
Flanking the F1 is a parade of McLaren’s modern-era icons: a P1 GTR, the extreme Speedtail, multiple track-bred Senna derivatives, the elusive Sabre, and the roofless Elva, among others. Collectively, they form a lineage of design and engineering evolution spanning three decades of McLaren Automotive’s road-car ambitions.
Preserving The Legacy
The sale itself was never about chasing record-breaking bids, although offers for the F1 alone set new global benchmarks. For both the Ojjeh family and Hartley, the integrity of the ensemble was paramount. Breaking up the collection would have diluted its meaning; keeping it together ensures that Ojjeh’s vision remains intact, representing a singular chapter in McLaren’s story.
“This is not just a sale – it is the important and respectful transfer of a legacy,” said Tom Hartley Jnr. “The Mansour Ojjeh Collection represents the very best of what McLaren stands for – innovation, individuality, quality, and excellence.”
Mansour Ojjeh: The Man Behind The Machines
To understand this collection, one must understand Mansour Ojjeh. The Paris-born businessman was far more than an investor; he was a visionary who helped steer McLaren into its golden era. He was the CEO of TAG Group, through which he invested in motorsport, initially becoming the title sponsor for Williams Racing in 1979.
Ojjeh then became the majority stakeholder for the McLaren group, owning 60% of the company. Through TAG, he financed the creation of the TAG-Porsche turbo engines that powered Niki Lauda and Alain Prost to titles in the 1980s, and even Ayrton Senna in the late 80s and early 90s.
Later, under his guidance, McLaren amassed seven Constructors’ and ten Drivers’ Championships, while simultaneously building McLaren Automotive and McLaren Applied Technologies into world-leading entities.
Ojjeh wasn’t merely a motorsport executive. He was a passionate enthusiast. In his twenties, he collected the exotics of the day — a Lamborghini Countach here, a Rolls-Royce Corniche there. But his true ambition was to create the ultimate road car, a vision that came alive in the legendary McLaren F1. His bespoke “Mansour Orange” F1 isn’t just another example—it is an expression of that dream, realised at the very end of the model’s run.
Ojjeh passed away in 2021, but the McLaren collection he curated stands as a living tribute: 20 cars, each a bookend in McLaren’s relentless pursuit of performance.
Why Does This Sale Matter?
In the ultra-niche world of car collecting, provenance is everything. A Ferrari 250 GTO carries not just value but story; a Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic is revered not just for its rarity but for the personalities who shaped it. The Mansour Ojjeh Collection now joins that echelon—not because of its breadth alone, but because of its narrative.
Every car tells the story of McLaren’s road-car programme. Every chassis represents a definitive endpoint. And collectively, they embody the passion of a man who helped make McLaren what it is today.
For enthusiasts, it’s reassuring to know that the collection remains intact. It means that somewhere, in the private sanctuary of an anonymous buyer, the Mansour Ojjeh McLarens exist as a perfectly preserved museum of modern performance—an ensemble unlikely ever to be replicated.
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