La leggenda può avere un prezzo? A quanto pare sì. Sarà battuta all’asta la storica McLaren MP4/6 di Ayrton Senna: ecco tutti i dettagli sull’evento e sulla cifra astronomica che gli esperti hanno stimato come base d’asta.
Risale allo scorso anno la transazione della collezione appartenuta a Bernie Ecclestone – che contava sessantanove monoposto di Formula 1 – a Mark Mateschitz, erede del fondatore della Red Bull. Adesso, l’attenzione si sposta sulla storica McLaren MP4/6 di Ayrton Senna, la monoposto con cui il brasiliano vinse per la prima volta davanti ai tifosi di casa sua. In occasione del Gran Finale della 75ª edizione del campionato di Formula 1 il prossimo 5 dicembre ad Abu Dhabi, la monoposto – progettata da Neil Oatley – verrà ceduta al miglior offerente partendo da una valutazione che oscilla tra i 12 e i 15 milioni di dollari, cifre da capogiro per un oggetto dal valore inestimabile.
Its value goes far beyond the on-track results: the MP4/6 is considered the last relic of a distant historical period, being the last single-seater to win the world title with the legendary V12 engine and manual gearbox. Furthermore, the Woking car had been restored by McLaren’s Heritage division, even bringing it to race-ready condition, but was then sold when the team went through a financial crisis.
The auction will be managed by RM Sotheby’s, a collector car auction company with offices in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, specializing in the sale of vintage, antique, sports, and exotic cars.
1991, Brazilian Grand Prix: Ayrton Senna’s First Victory at Home
The 1991 edition of the Brazilian Grand Prixwas a historic event that we still talk about with reverence today. As the lights went out for that race, Beco’s mind was consumed by the fixed thought of winning on the circuit of the nation that had seen him grow up, a victory that had slipped away too many times: first at Jacarepaguá, then at Interlagos. However, that race at Interlagos was not without unexpected events. Quite the opposite.
During the sixtieth lap, the Brazilian began to experience gearbox problems with his single-seater, and thus, his hunger for success grew even stronger. Ayrton Senna tightened his hands around the steering wheel of his McLaren MP4/6 and sighed deeply, searching within himself for a solution to the unknown that had just presented itself and was threatening his plans. First the fourth gear abandoned him, then the fifth. The Brazilian was left with only sixth gear available to tackle the final laps before the end of the race.
And that’s when, in his mind, the light that made him a champion turned on: not for the numbers in the standings, but for the spirit, for the inner strength that distinguished him from all others. Fate tried to pull the strings of that race, but Beco disagreed: he would be the one to write the outcome of that race, without any hesitation, even at the cost of pain.
Ayrton smiled. His secret weapon had arrived, and only the final efforts remained before he could put his signature on the masterpiece he was creating, dancing above the water soaking the Brazilian track. Riccardo Patrese was forced to contend with the wet track, while the champion’s concentration focused exclusively on completing that impossible mission, considered as such by everyone else.
Finally, the voice of the commentator echoed in the air: “Ayrton. Ayrton. Ayrton do Brasil, ” he said, and the winner’s liberating shout tore through it. That reaction will remain in the hearts of the most passionate fans, accompanied by shivers running down their spines. That Brazilian, who arrived in Formula 1 in 1984, had finally won at home, in front of his compatriots.
Photo: RM Sotheby’s.
