Mansour Ojjeh was a pivotal figure in McLaren’s Formula 1 success and a founding force behind McLaren Automotive. Following his passing in 2021, his private collection of McLaren road cars, the Mansour McLaren legacy — including the final McLaren F1 ever produced — is now being offered for sale. Curated over decades and maintained under direct instruction from McLaren, the collection represents one of the most significant assemblages of McLaren road cars ever created.
Handing on the baton is a phrase that many in the sporting world recognize. From the very factual relay races on the athletics track to the metaphorical sense, the baton being handed on will typically be expected to continue to be the best of the best.
In 2021, the world of McLaren lost Mansour Ojjeh. He had been a pivotal figure in the world of motorsport, most celebrated for his visionary role in transforming McLaren into one of F1’s most successful teams. Under his stewardship, the team secured seven Constructors’ and ten Drivers’ Championships, while also expanding beyond the racetrack. He was instrumental in launching McLaren Automotive and the McLaren Applied Technologies division, helping to cement the brand as a leader in innovation and engineering excellence.
When McLaren Automotive began producing road cars in earnest, Mansour turned his attention to building the ultimate McLaren road car collection. The legendary McLaren F1 is its ‘jewel in the crown’. The last of that model ever produced, it was finished in a unique colour named ‘Yquem’, after the esteemed and rare dessert wine. To reflect the significance of this vehicle, McLaren subsequently renamed the colour ‘Mansour Orange’, a custom hue used exclusively on his cars. Mansour requested the final chassis number for each model, ensuring his cars incorporated all the technical updates made during the production cycle. The result is without equal. Except the F1 (which has just 1,810km) and the P1 GTR (used occasionally during McLaren track days), every car remains unused, in factory-delivered condition, and maintained under direct instruction by McLaren themselves – a service no other collector has ever received.
It is this collection, this baton of McLaren excellence, that is now about to be moved on. Kathy Ojjeh (widow of Mansour Ojjeh) said, “McLaren meant so much to Mansour. It was more than business, it was pure passion, and it was in that vein that he curated this unique collection of McLaren road cars. The ‘Last of Legends’ car collection is a treasure for our family – a reminder of the hours we witnessed Mansour designing each car to his specifications. He had an unusual talent for detail that stuns and impresses, a talent driven by the very passion he nurtured for so many years with McLaren. “Parting with this very personal collection is not easy, but it is time for it to go to its new custodian, one who truly ‘gets it’ and will cherish owning and caring for it the way Mansour did. When it came to selecting someone to help pass on the baton, there was one clear choice.
Fresh from selling Bernie Ecclestone’s collection of 69 historic Grand Prix and Formula 1 cars earlier this year, Tom Hartley Jnr has been chosen to handle the sale of this unique collection compiled by another F1 icon. “We are very grateful to Tom Hartley Jnr for providing us with the highly professional framework within which to sell this collection, as we know Tom truly understands the collection’s intrinsic value and is also one whose passion for beautiful automobiles surpasses most”, says Kathy. Tom Hartley Jnr said, “I’m truly humbled that the Ojjeh family has entrusted my business with the sale of their incredible collection. I had the privilege of meeting Mansour on a few occasions, and his attention to detail and appreciation for the finer things in life are clearly reflected in the collection that remains today.
“Offering this collection for sale would be extraordinary in its own right, but the fact that it comes from the home of one of McLaren Automotive’s founding figures, a man so instrumental in McLaren’s Formula 1 success, makes it truly unrepeatable. “Being entrusted with the sale of Mansour Ojjeh’s McLaren collection is akin to handling Enzo Ferrari’s Ferraris or Ferdinand Porsche’s Porsches. We’re talking about one of the founding figures behind McLaren Automotive, a man who, together with Ron Dennis, helped build McLaren into one of the most respected and successful teams in Formula 1 history. “For me, the highlight of the collection is, of course, the F1. It’s widely regarded as the greatest road car ever built, and this particular example is the very last one produced. It has only just over 1,800km from new and comes directly from Mansour Ojjeh, who, alongside Bruce McLaren and Ron Dennis, was instrumental in shaping the history of the marque. I have no doubt this will fetch a world record price for the model when it’s sold.
“There are so many other remarkable cars in the collection, each one unique and the final example of its model ever built. One especially poignant example is the Elva, delivered after Mansour’s passing. In an extraordinary gesture of respect, McLaren replaced the manufacturer’s badges on the front and rear with Mansour’s emblem — a tribute to one of their founders. “This is the most significant McLaren road car collection ever assembled, and I sincerely hope it is acquired by a single buyer, just as the Ecclestone Grand Prix collection was, which we sold earlier this year.”
Born in Paris to renowned Saudi businessman Akram Ojjeh, Mansour was educated in California, where he earned a master’s degree in business. He would go on to succeed his father as CEO of Techniques d’Avant Garde (TAG), a Luxembourg-based holding company with investments spanning aviation, motorsport, and luxury goods.
Ojjeh’s journey in Formula 1 began in 1979, when TAG sponsored the Williams team. However, it was his decision in 1984 to take an ownership stake in McLaren that truly shaped his legacy. TAG famously financed the development of the TAG-Porsche turbo engines, which powered McLaren to two Constructors’ Championships and three Drivers’ Championships – a partnership that marked the beginning of one of the sport’s most enduring alliances. Over the next four decades, Mansour Ojjeh’s influence became central to McLaren’s success. Under his stewardship, the team secured seven Constructors’ and ten Drivers’ Championships, while also expanding beyond the racetrack. He was instrumental in launching McLaren Automotive and the McLaren Applied Technologies division, helping to cement the brand as a leader in innovation and engineering excellence.
Despite his immense success, Mansour was revered not just for his business acumen but for his humility, warmth, and generosity. When he passed away in June 2021, tributes poured in from across the globe—not only from the motorsport community but from every corner of the industries and lives he had touched. Mansour’s passion for cars began early. In his twenties, while living in North America, he owned and celebrated icons such as the Lamborghini Countach and Rolls-Royce Corniche. That early enthusiasm grew into a world-class Ferrari collection, which included remarkable examples like the 250 California Spyder and 288 GTO.
But more than owning legendary machines, Mansour longed to create one. That dream began to take shape during his time sponsoring Williams, although team principal Frank Williams did not share his vision for a road car project. It wasn’t until a delayed flight following the 1988 Italian Grand Prix, in the company of Ron Dennis and Gordon Murray, that the trio agreed to move forward with an ambitious new goal: to build the greatest road car the world had ever seen.
As with all his endeavours, Mansour refused to cut corners. The result was the legendary McLaren F1, a car that continues to be regarded by many as the finest ever built, both technologically and philosophically. This is more than a collection. It is a vision realised. A tribute to a man whose legacy shaped the past, present, and future of McLaren. Through innovation, perfectionism, and an unwavering passion for excellence, Mansour Ojjeh built something timeless, just like the cars that bear his name. Zak Brown (Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Racing) said, “Mansour was a founding father of McLaren as we know it today. A massively passionate racer and automotive enthusiast, and no bigger fan of McLaren. His collection is very special, I’m not aware of anything else that compares with It.”