Family of McLaren icon Mansour Ojjeh to sell ultra-rare 20-car collection in emotional handoff
The family of McLaren icon Mansour Ojjeh has put up his incredible 20-car McLaren collection up for sale. Famous luxury car dealer Tom Hartley Jr has been appointed to sell off the collection, which he has branded as The Mansour Ojjeh Collection.
Former McLaren co-owner Mansour Ojjeh passed away in 2021. As the CEO of TAG [Techniques d’Avant Garde], Ojjeh first entered the world of F1 as a partner of Williams. But in 1984, he decided to buy an ownership stake in McLaren.
During this time, he helped the company expand beyond just the race track. And Ojjeh was also one of the biggest fanatics when it came to the McLaren road cars. He boasted a collection of 20 cars, all in the unique color named Yquem. After his death, this color was renamed as Mansour Orange.
But now, Ojjeh’s family has decided to sell the collection.
“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,” said his wife, Kathy. [via The Charlotte Observer]
Ojjeh was pivotal in McLaren’s success in F1. He financially backed the development of the TAG-Porsche engines. Under his stewardship, the team won seven constructors’ and ten drivers’ championships.
Zak Brown calls Mansour Ojjeh the “founding father” of McLaren
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has lauded Mansour Ojjeh, branding him as the “founding father” of the company. The American also called Ojjeh McLaren’s biggest fan.
Speaking about The Mansour Collection, Zak Brown fondly remembered the person that was Ojjeh.
“Mansour was a founding father of McLaren as we know it today,” said Brown. [via The Charlotte Observer]
“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.” he added.
The legendary car collection’s centre piece is the McLaren F1. The particular car is reportedly the fastest ever F1 ever produced. Other than this, the collection also includes the McLaren Senna, Elva, Speedtail, P1, and the legendary Sabre. The Sabre is one of 16 ever produced. The collection also holds a few Le Mans edition supercars.
Outside of the F1 and the P1 GTR, all other cars are unused. They have been maintained in factory-delivered condition by McLaren.
The sale is also in capable hands. Tom Harley Jr. has become the go-to dealer for such high-profile sales in the motorsport world. The UK-based dealer has recently sold Bernie Ecclestone’s collection of 69 historic F1 cars. These were bought for around $500 million [€426.6 Million] earlier this year.
