What might be one of the most unique and bespoke car collections of all time is going on sale as a single set to one lucky (and very rich) buyer. The Mansour Ojjeh Collection is the personal stable of the man himself, the former CEO of TAG (which his father founded), a one-time sponsor of the Williams Formula 1 team, and more famously one of the owners and driving forces of McLaren since the 1980s. He spearheaded the joint venture between TAG, Porsche, and McLaren that provided power units for the F1 team during its pinnacle in the sport, leading the likes of Niki Lauda and Alain Prost to world championships. He continued to lead the company through future championships, the F1 road-legal supercar, and McLaren’s later evolution into a production carmaker, before dying in 2021.
Once the latter happened, Ojjeh was in a position to make an unusual decision that turned into an unusual demand. He sold off his previous car collection that he’d been building since he was in his twenties, which included Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Rolls-Royces, all so he could start gathering a new one. Not only would Ojjeh’s new collection feature cars from the company he partially owned, all of the McLarens would be made specifically for Mansour Ojjeh, with custom specs and a color no one else could have.
It’s good to be rich and also the owner of McLaren
It all began with Ojjeh’s McLaren F1. As you might expect, the man who helped make the car a reality wanted to have one. But he did more than just get one: Ojjeh’s F1 was the very last one ever made, painted in a shade of orange created for him alone. Named Yquem after a dessert wine, McLaren never used this color for anyone but Ojjeh, ever. In fact, the company later renamed it to Mansour Orange, because of course.
That was back in the 1990s. Once McLaren became a true production manufacturer in the 2010s, Ojjeh ordered every new model again, and again, and again. His cars were always the very final one ever made of their respective model, so that his had all the upgrades and fixes possible and they’d have the final serial numbers. They were painted all in Mansour Orange, available to him alone. They were delivered straight to him, and since he never actually drove most of the cars, nearly all of them are still brand new — the F1 was driven a bit, with a mere 1,124 miles on it, and the P1 GTR was occasionally used at track days.
20 cars in all
In addition to the final F1, which itself is worth upwards of $20 million, the 20-car collection includes limited-run McLarens like the P1, Speedtail, Sabre, and Elva. There are three Sennas: an LM in Mansour Orange, a standard one in a Senna tribute color scheme, and a race-ready GTR. Sure, there are a few more normal McLarens in the collection like an MP4-12C, 650S, 675LT, 750S, 600LT, and 765LT — but there are also rarer versions of those cars like the 650S Can Am, 750S Le Mans, MSO HS and 620R.
As if all that wasn’t enough, his McLaren Elva isn’t actually a McLaren Elva. It’s a Mansour Elva. Since he died before his personal Elva was actually finished, the company swapped the badge to have his name instead of the McLaren mark. No one has ever done this for me.
Car celebrity collections are having a moment
The collection is being sold as a single set via specialty car broker Tom Hartley Jnr and in my expert estimation will go for, at least, several dollars. Ojjeh’s widow Kathy said to Top Gear that the family wants to find a buyer who “truly ‘gets it’ and will cherish owning and caring for it the way Mansour did.” So at least in theory, this won’t go simply to the deepest-pocketed bidder, but to a true car enthusiast who understands what this collection is and what it means (and also has deep pockets). That also likely means that the collection will stay mostly undriven, more showroom pieces than actual transportation vehicles.
Massive car celebrity collections are having something of a moment. In March, former Formula 1 executive Bernie Ecclestone sold his set of 69 F1 racing cars. Also brokered by Tom Hartley Jnr, the sale went to none other than the heir of Red Bull, 32-year-old Mark Mateschitz. Though the final price was not revealed it was rumored to be somewhere around $700 million, and Hartley said it was “by several multiples the biggest sale price ever achieved for a classic car collection,” per Classic Driver.
While the Mansour Ojjeh Collection surely won’t reach those heights, it has the provenance and the exclusivity to command an estimated $70 million. To whichever of our readers wins the set, good luck paying for the security on all that. Maybe find a nice place to store it all. How does a car museum that you can live in sound?
