Inside Zak Brown's Legendary Car Collection: From Senna's McLaren to Indy 500 Icons
McLaren CEO Zak Brown's extraordinary private car collection is a motorsport historian's dream, featuring championship-winning F1 cars driven by Senna and Mansell, iconic Indy 500 winners, and rare McLaren legends, all maintained to running condition.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has assembled one of the world's most significant private collections of historic racing cars, a personal passion project that spans the history of Formula 1, IndyCar, and sports car racing. The collection, meticulously maintained and regularly driven, features championship-winning machines from legends like Ayrton Senna, Mario Andretti, and Nigel Mansell, reflecting Brown's deep-rooted connection to motorsport's heritage.
Why it matters:
As the leader of a top F1 team, Brown's collection is more than a hobby; it's a living museum of engineering and racing history that he actively engages with. His hands-on approach to preserving and operating these iconic cars underscores a tangible commitment to the sport's legacy, offering a unique bridge between F1's past and its commercial present.
The details:
Brown's collection is vast, but several crown jewels stand out, often acquired with a personal story or connection.
- F1 Royalty: The collection includes Ayrton Senna's 1991 championship-winning McLaren MP4/6, a car Brown calls his favorite. He also owns Mika Häkkinen's final Grand Prix-winning MP4/16, Lewis Hamilton's 2012 MP4/27, and significant cars from champions like Mario Andretti (1978 Lotus 79) and Nigel Mansell (1987 Williams FW11).
- Indy 500 Champions: Brown has a strong focus on American open-wheel history, owning multiple Indianapolis 500-winning cars. These include Emerson Fittipaldi's 1989 Penske PC18, Rick Mears' 1991 Penske, and the Adrian Newey-designed March 84C that won the 1984 race.
- Personal McLaren Connections: Naturally, the collection features pivotal McLaren road and race cars. Alongside the historic F1 cars, it contains a 1965 McLaren M1B raced by Bruce McLaren, a brutal Can-Am series McLaren M8D, a McLaren P1 hypercar, and the one-off Speedtail supercar developed under his leadership.
- Recent Acquisitions: In early 2026, Brown added two notable machines: Gil de Ferran's 2001 CART championship-winning Reynard, purchased from Roger Penske, and a 1965 McLaren M1B race car.
- Eclectic Additions: The collection's diversity extends to a Dale Earnhardt Sr. NASCAR Chevrolet, a World Sportscar Championship Lancia, a Porsche 935, and even Ayrton Senna's 1981 world championship-winning kart.
The big picture:
Brown's collection is a physical manifestation of a racer's passion, curated by someone with the access and means to acquire historically irreplaceable assets. Unlike static displays, these machines are kept in running order and are periodically driven at events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed, sometimes by current F1 drivers like Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz. This active stewardship ensures these important pieces of motorsport history remain more than just artifacts—they remain alive, sharing their sight, sound, and story with fans and the next generation of competitors.