► MP4/8 could raise £4.5 million
► Raced in Senna’s last win at Monaco
► Used iconic Cosworth-built Ford V8
Ayrton Senna is widely regarded as one of the best racing drivers of all time, and his talent was even more obvious at the Monaco GP – still one of the most demanding tracks on the F1 calendar today. The three-time world champion won at the street circuit a total of six times, and now you can buy the last car he did it with – the 1993 McLaren Ford MP4/8 ‘chassis 6.’
Senna’s final McLaren is going under the hammer at Bonhams’ Monaco sale on 11 May, but will also be shown at Le Grand Palais in Paris next month.
The price? The 25-year-old McLaren is expected to fetch around £4.5 million. You can watch highlights of the 1993 race below:
McLaren-Ford?
Senna won all three of his championships with a Honda-powered McLaren that was arguably the best car on the grid, but in 1993 things were very different. While the Brazilian’s arch-rival Alain Prost dominated in the technologically-advanced Williams FW15C, Senna had to contend with a arguably less-refined chassis in the McLaren. Only the Thursday before the race, a mechanical problem with the car’s ultra-modern active suspension caused a crash that injured Senna’s thumb.
To add to the challenge, the Cosworth-built Ford V8 in the MP4/8A had less power than the Renault V10 in the Williams – although it was lighter and more drivable. That helped Senna make the difference in the twistier, less-power dependent streets of Monaco, and he ended up winning the race 15 seconds clear of Williams-Renault driver Damon Hill.
1993 was Ayrton Senna’s last season with McLaren before his fateful move to the Williams team, and it was during this time he was earning a reported £1 million per race, on an event by event basis. Monaco was arguably his second-best race that year, with his incredible lap at the British Grand Prix being the highlight of his season. You can watch that below, too.