Inside Zak Brown’s Historic Car Collection Worth Over $100M

Zak Brown is best known as the CEO of McLaren Racing, a motorsports organization that is as iconic as it is successful. But away from the pitwall and the boardroom, Brown is first and foremost a die-hard racing fan. Over the years, he has assembled one of the most enviable and expensive private car collections on the planet.

Housed primarily at the United Autosports workshops in Yorkshire, UK, Brown’s garage is a collection of historic legends, road-going icons and the highest performing race cars ever seen. But while the American has cars coming out his ears, he has one rule: A race car must have won a race to be worthy of his collection.

And while this may seem like a great waste of machinery, he makes sure each car is looked after, serviced, and raced around the world.

From the machines of F1 legends to American muscle icons and modern hypercars, here is a look inside Zak Brown’s incredible collection.

Zak Brown Loves His Formula 1 Icons

Given his day job, it is no surprise that Formula 1 machinery dominates the collection. The star of the show, which Brown refers to as his “crown jewel,” is the 1991 McLaren-Honda MP4/6. This is the very chassis Ayrton Senna drove to his final Monaco Grand Prix victory and his third Drivers’ Championship.

The F1 section reads like a Hall of Fame roll call:

• Lotus 79 (1978): The actual car Mario Andretti drove to victory at the Belgian GP during his championship year.
• Williams FW07/B (1980): Alan Jones’s British Grand Prix winner.
• McLaren MP4-16 (2001): The car Mika Häkkinen used to win the British GP.

Perhaps the most unique F1 car in the collection is Jody Scheckter’s 1977 Wolf WR1. Not only did it win on its debut at the Argentine GP, but Brown has kept it as the only completely unrestored car in his fleet, still wearing the original dirt, oil, and battle scars from its racing days. That’s truly special, and proves he’s not just a rich man with an eye for candy.

American Heroes: IndyCar and NASCAR

Despite running a British F1 team, Brown is a proud American with a deep love for stateside racing – proven by McLaren’s connections to a number of American teams and motorsports. His collection honors the giants of IndyCar and NASCAR.

The collection features cars designed by the legendary designer Adrian Newey long before his Red Bull fame, including the 1987 Lola raced to victory at Long Beach by Mario Andretti, and a 1984 March 84C raced by Bobby Rahal.

Other famous American open-wheelers include Emerson Fittipaldi’s 1989 Indy 500-winning Penske PC18 and Nigel Mansell’s 1993 IndyCar title-winning Lola T93/00. On the stock car side of the garage, his collection boasts a 1984 Chevrolet Monte Carlo formerly wrestled around ovals by “The Intimidator” himself, Dale Earnhardt.

Endurance Legends and Rally Warriors

Unsurprisingly, he also owns cars that are deeply connected to his profession. The garage houses a monstrous 1970 McLaren M8D Can-Am car, driven to victory by Dan Gurney immediately following the tragic death of team founder Bruce McLaren.

His collection also boasts racing icons like a 1982 Porsche 935 (JLP-3) that won the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours in the same year, and a beautiful Martini-liveried 1984 Lancia LC2 Group C prototype.

From its home in the dirt, he now owns Carlos Sainz’s 1997 Ford Escort WRC, a car that won the Acropolis Rally and became as much of a legend as the cars it now sits beside. Although, knowing Brown, it doesn’t do much sitting, with him saying previously that it’s one of the best-driving cars of his collection.

Zak Brown’s Road Car Collection

While the race cars must be winners, Brown’s taste in road-legal cars is equally as strong, with a number of incredibly rare and high-performing cars tucked away.

His modern McLarens are exceptionally rare – of course it helps to have the keys to the motorsport brand itself.

Brown owns a McLaren P1 in Volcano Orange, a McLaren Speedtail – chassis PP1(Pre-Production 1), and one of only 106 in existence. But he’s not one to stick to a single brand.

He also owns a number of V12-powered monsters in the shape of a Giallo Modena Ferrari F50, one of only 30 produced in that color, which he loves for its F1-derived engine and manual gearbox. The road collection is rounded out by icons like the technological marvel Porsche 959, a stunning Ferrari 288 GTO, and an authentic 1965 AC Cobra 289 – a love that he shares with his F1 driver and reigning champion Lando Norris.

Zak Brown’s Full Known Car Collection

Formula 1 Cars

• 1991 McLaren-Honda MP4/6: Ayrton Senna’s Monaco-winning and Drivers’ Championship car. Brown calls this the “crown jewel” of his collection. (Value: Multi-millions. A similar 1993 Senna McLaren sold for $4.46 million in 2018, and values have only climbed since.)
• 1977 Wolf WR1: Jody Scheckter’s debut-winning car. It remains entirely unrestored, bearing its original track dirt.
• 1978 Lotus 79: The John Player Special liveried car driven to victory by both Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson.
• 1980 Williams FW07/B: Alan Jones’s World Championship-winning car.
• 1987 Williams FW11B: Raced to victory by Nigel Mansell at the British Grand Prix.
• 2001 McLaren MP4-16: Mika Häkkinen’s British GP winner.
• 2012 McLaren MP4-27: Driven by Lewis Hamilton.

IndyCar & American Open-Wheel

• 1987 Lola T87/00: Mario Andretti’s Long Beach winner, designed and signed by Adrian Newey.
• 1989 Penske PC18: Emerson Fittipaldi’s Indy 500 and title-winning car.
• 1991 Lola T91/00: Michael Andretti’s championship-winning car.
• 1993 Lola T93/00: Nigel Mansell’s IndyCar Series title winner.
• 1984 March 84C: An Adrian Newey-designed chassis driven by Bobby Rahal.

Endurance, Can-Am & Sports Cars

• 1970 McLaren M8D: The 7.6-litre Can-Am monster driven to victory by Dan Gurney just days after Bruce McLaren’s fatal crash.
• 1982 Porsche 935 (JLP-3): The only car of its era to win the Daytona 24 Hours, Sebring 12 Hours, and the IMSA championship in the same year.
• 1984 Martini Lancia LC2: A beautiful Group C endurance prototype.
• Porsche 962 (Blaupunkt Livery): A five-time race winner in the 1980s IMSA series.
• Jaguar XJR-10: A Castrol-liveried IMSA prototype.
• 1980 Ford Capri 3.0 Bastos: Raced at the Spa 24 Hours.
• 2008 Ferrari F430 Challenge: Driven to victory at Montreal by Zak Brown himself.

Rally, Touring & NASCAR

• 1997 Ford Escort WRC: Raced by Carlos Sainz to win the Acropolis Rally.
• 1984 Chevrolet Monte Carlo NASCAR: Raced by Dale Earnhardt.
• 2011 Holden Commodore V8: Nick Percat’s Bathurst 1000 winner.

Road Cars & Supercars

• Ferrari F50: Finished in rare Giallo Modena (yellow). (Estimated Value: ~$4,000,000)
• McLaren Speedtail (Chassis PP1): A pre-production version of McLaren’s 250 mph hypercar. (Estimated Value: ~$2,200,000)
• McLaren P1: Finished in Volcano Orange. (Estimated Value: ~$1,000,000 – $1,500,000)
• 1965 AC Cobra 289: An original, elegant early Cobra. (Estimated Value: ~$1,000,000)
• Porsche 959: A 1980s technological marvel, modified by Canepa. (Estimated Value: ~$250,000 – $1,000,000+ depending on specific Canepa modifications)
• Bugatti EB110: A 1990s quad-turbo V12 icon. (Estimated Value: ~$2,000,000 – $3,000,000)
• Ford GT: The mid-2000s retro revival. (Estimated Value: ~$400,000)
• Lamborghini Countach: The poster car of the 80s. (Estimated Value: ~$500,000+)
• Ferrari 599 GTO: A hardcore front-engine V12. (Estimated Value: ~$700,000 – $900,000)
• Ferrari 275 GTS: A classic 1960s drop-top V12. (Estimated Value: ~$1,500,000+)
• Porsche 356 Speedster: A lightweight 1950s classic. (Estimated Value: ~$300,000 – $500,000)
• Jaguar E-Type: Enzo Ferrari’s famously favorite car design. (Estimated Value: ~$100,000 – $250,000 depending on series and condition)
• McLaren 675LT Spider: A track-focused modern McLaren. (Estimated Value: ~$250,000 – $300,000)
• Austin-Healey: Model unspecified, but a staple of British classic motoring. (Estimated Value: ~$50,000 – $100,000)

Karts

• 1981 Ayrton Senna Kart: Used in the World Championship in Parma.
• Mika Häkkinen Kart: Used during his European Championship days.