Description
This lot will be auctioned via Iconic Auctioneers, The Iconic Sale at Race Retro 2025 - Collectors' Cars on Saturday the 22nd of February, Stoneleigh Park, Stoneleigh Rd, Coventry, CV8 2LG. It’s fair to say the McLaren Senna had some big boots to fill, being the third iteration of McLaren’s 'Ultimate Series' following the legendary F1 and 'widow-maker' P1, but it’s safe to say the Senna lives up to all expectations and more. First unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show and named after the late Ayrton Senna as an homage to his three Formula 1 World Championships with McLaren between 1988 and 1993, it was a sharp and purposeful car with one main goal - to be the fastest and most track-focused road car McLaren had ever produced. A fitting tribute to say the least. In contrast to its precursor, the P1, the Senna forwent any hybrid system or electrical powertrain assistance, instead opting for a modified version of McLaren’s own 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8, codenamed M840TR. This engine is an engineering feat on its own, being the most powerful engine ever installed in a McLaren road car, producing 789bhp and 800Nm of torque, transmitted to the tarmac through a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and the rear wheels. It remains a hugely advanced engine, featuring dry-sump lubrication, lightweight rods and pistons, a pair of ultra-low-inertia twin-scroll turbochargers fitted with electronic wastegates for instant throttle response and a bespoke carbon-fibre intake plenum, feeding cold air through the motorsport-derived roof scoop. Many of those 789 horses would be redundant without serious witchcraft in the chassis helping them all contribute and that’s where its active aerodynamics, unparalleled on any other production road car, come into play. The front end is dominated by a huge and functional raised splitter with large air intakes featuring active winglets to channel air under the body. Warm air from the radiators is channelled from behind, up and over the roof, deliberately missing the roof scoop before flowing over the enormous active rear wing. The wing itself is controlled by hydraulics and moves constantly to suit the driving scenario, either acting as an airbrake lifting to 90° increasing downforce and stopping power, or reducing drag as part of an active F1-derived Drag Reduction System (DRS). The rear end is further enhanced with a double diffuser and a second fixed lower wing, which are fed exhaust air from the louvred engine cover. The results of this aerodynamic concoction are remarkable. At 155mph the Senna can produce 800kg of downforce, a seemingly impossible 40% increase over the already efficient McLaren P1. The chassis is based around McLaren’s own 'Monocage III' tub and is constructed of lightweight materials and carbon fibre throughout for a combination of maximum stiffness and lightness. Each seat weighs a remarkable 3. 6kg, the front wings weigh less than 700g and the enormous rear wing is less than 5. 5kg. The Senna also uses an upgraded version of McLaren’s Race Active Chassis Control II system, which features an active double wishbone and hydraulic damper setup from the P1, allowing for variable ride-height, damping and stiffness modes according to the driver’s desired setup. Retardation is achieved by Formula 1–inspired carbon brakes developed in partnership with Brembo, with discs that take seven months to make, each one with integrated cooling vanes and a thermal compound that is three times more conductive than conventional carbon-ceramic brakes. Indeed, so potent is the braking system, that the Senna currently holds the record for braking performance for production cars: 124mph to a standstill in just 100 metres, decelerating with a force of 2. 1g. Other performance statistics to which the Senna can lay claim are no less impressive: 0–62mph dispatched in 2. 8 seconds, 0 – 124 mph in just 6. 8 seconds and, by doing away with any hybrid or electrical units, the dry weight is just under 1, 200kg, equating to a power-to-weight ratio of 668bhp per ton. It thus eclipses even the P1 statistic of 646bhp per ton, whilst simultaneously offering significantly more downforce. The McLaren Senna offered here is truly special, even within the context of being a Senna. This is XP01, VIN #0001, making it the very first Senna ever produced. Not to be confused with the first customer car, which is finished in a blue and white colour scheme, this is a uniquely specified example which incorporates almost every conceivable item on the McLaren Special Operations (MSO) bespoke and optional equipment list. The Senna’s internal development codename was P15, with their ‘Experimental Prototype’/ development cars being allocated XP build numbers to signify they were pre-production cars. McLaren XPs are generally prototype cars used during the development phase of a particular model and are then taken back in-house by McLaren to be...
