Photos courtesy of Tom Hartley Jnr & McLaren Racing
The late Mansour Ojjeh was many things – visionary, industrialist, connoisseur – but above all, he was a man of automotive and racing passion. The recent announcement that his personal collection of 20 McLaren road cars is now for sale is more than just a notable moment in the collector car world – it’s a celebration of a great man whose influence helped shape modern Formula 1 and whose tastes redefined what a roadgoing supercar could be.
Now available through respected UK-based dealer Tom Hartley Jnr Ltd, the collection reads like a greatest hits album from one of the world’s most storied automotive brands. But to understand the weight of this moment, one must first understand the legacy of the man behind the cars – someone, without whom, the McLaren F1 might never have happened.
From Monaco to McLaren
Born in 1952, Mansour was the son of Akram Ojjeh, a prominent Saudi-naturalized Syrian businessman and founder of the TAG Group – aka: Techniques d’Avant Garde. With a French mother and an international upbringing that spanned Europe and the United States, Mansour’s early education and tastes were as global as the businesses he would later run. After graduating from California’s Menlo College in 1974 and earning a master’s degree from Santa Clara University, he took up the reins at TAG.
In his twenties, Ojjeh developed a keen eye for automotive design and performance, acquiring icons like the Lamborghini Countach and Rolls-Royce Corniche. His tastes soon matured into a world-class Ferrari collection, highlighted by a 250 California Spyder and a 288 GTO.
But it was a visit to the 1978 Monaco Grand Prix that shifted his focus from admiration to action. Watching as a guest of the Saudi royal family, he caught the racing bug – and decided to embed himself in the sport. Sponsoring the Williams F1 team from 1979 to 1982 gave him a front-row seat to Formula 1’s inner workings, but his ambitions didn’t align with team boss Frank Williams, particularly regarding the creation of the ultimate road-going supercar program, which was his ultimate dream. So, he pivoted…
The TAG-Porsche Era and a New Vision
In 1984, Ojjeh made the bold move to acquire a stake in McLaren for a reported $5 million. The result was one of the most successful eras in motorsport for McLaren, which was under the stewardship of Ron Dennis. Mansour’s TAG Group funded the development of the turbocharged Porsche V6 engines that powered McLaren to three Drivers’ Championships and two Constructors’ titles in just four years.
Simultaneously, TAG acquired Heuer in 1985, launching the now-legendary TAG Heuer brand – later sold to LVMH for $740 million. Ojjeh was an astute individual, of that there was zero doubt, but his ultimate goal remained to build a road car unlike anything before.
That dream took flight, somewhat ironically, due to a delayed plane ride home from the 1988 Italian Grand Prix. McLaren had just lost its perfect season, after Ayrton Senna was taken out by Williams stand-in driver (and backmarker) Jean-Louis Schlesser at Monza. In the airport lounge, Ojjeh, team principal Ron Dennis and his cohort Creighton Brown, and designer Gordon Murray laid the groundwork for the McLaren F1.
Murray sketched a three-seater sportscar on the spot. The vision was simple but audacious: build the world’s greatest road car, not compromised by convention. By 1992, the McLaren F1 debuted with a carbon-fiber monocoque, a bespoke BMW V12 engine, and a central driving position. Just 106 examples were made, including racing variants like the GTR and the super-rare GT, plus the celebration LM edition (that was built in honor of the five McLaren F1 GTRs which finished the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans).
In 1995, the F1 achieved what no other production-based GT car has done since – it won Le Mans outright. And in 1998, its top speed of 240.1 mph earned it the Guinness World Record, confirming its status as the fastest road car on the planet.
A Collector’s Masterstroke
Ojjeh’s own F1 – chassis 036 – was specified in pale blue metallic with a blue Alcantara interior. After 11 years of ownership, he sold it to a U.S. collector and replaced it with chassis 075, which had been bought by his brother Aziz, the last production F1 ever built. Its bespoke Yquem paint, inspired by a vintage Bordeaux dessert wine, earned it the name ‘Mansour Orange’ after McLaren officially adopted the color for his collection.
But this was only the beginning. When McLaren Automotive launched its modern road car division in 2010, Mansour began assembling what is now considered the most complete private McLaren collection in existence. From the MP4-12C to the Speedtail, Sabre, P1 GTR, Elva, Senna, and various Longtail and Le Mans editions, every car was ordered with final chassis numbers and full factory spec. Except for the F1 and P1 GTR, each remains delivery-mile fresh.
More impressively, McLaren maintained the entire fleet under Ojjeh’s direct instruction – a privilege afforded to no other collector.
A Motorsport Titan
Of course, Mansour Ojjeh’s impact on McLaren transcended the road car business that he founded. Under his watch, the Formula 1 team clinched seven Constructors’ and 10 Drivers’ titles. His influence also led to the creation of McLaren Applied Technologies, helping solidify the brand’s standing in performance engineering.
Yet, for all his achievements, Ojjeh was known for his humility, loyalty, and generosity. When he passed away in 2021, the outpouring of respect from across motorsport – and far beyond the automotive industry – was profound.
Now, four years later, his widow Kathy Ojjeh reflects on the decision to part with the collection: “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.”
Legacy for Sale
For collectors, the opportunity is extraordinary: a McLaren collection of historic and contemporary significance, each car handpicked and specified by one of the most important figures in the marque’s history. It’s not just a group of cars – it’s a physical expression of a legacy that helped define modern Formula 1 and the roadgoing supercar as we know it.
Mansour Ojjeh wasn’t just another wealthy man who funded other people’s dreams, he originated and lived them too. And now, the road cars that tell his story are waiting for their next chapter.
