The Driven Visionary: Mansour Ojjeh's Famed McLaren Collection Hits the Market

Mansour Ojjeh’s resilience, vision and firm belief in his passion created a lasting legacy that transformed the automotive world. Born in Paris and with a strong business acumen honed in California, Ojjeh breathed life into the McLaren brand, shaping it into the global powerhouse it is today.

Started by Bruce McLaren in 1963 as a Formula 1 team, it was under Mansour’s influence that McLaren grew into a formidable name in the world of motorsport, with winning numerous titles in their repertoire and producing high-performance sports cars. Through the years, under Ojjeh’s guidance, the team became one of the most successful in F1 history, and the name McLaren became synonymous with superior automotive engineering.

Ojjeh’s journey in the world of high-speed adrenaline began with TAG (Technique d’Avant Garde), where he stepped in as CEO, succeeding his father. It was through TAG that he first entered the fast-paced world of Formula 1, initially as a sponsor for the Williams team before becoming part-owner of the McLaren F1 team. This marked the start of a significant chapter in the history of motorsport. Ojjeh’s pivotal input helped the British constructor rise to greatness.

His tenacious pursuit of perfection led to the development of a new turbocharged V6 engine, forged by Porsche. This resulted in an impressive streak of three consecutive F1 World Constructors titles and F1 World Drivers championships. Under Ojjeh’s compassionate leadership, McLaren accrued 7 Constructors titles and 10 Drivers titles.

Ojjeh was also instrumental in taking McLaren to the streets. Along with team director Ron Dennis and engineering genius Gordon Murray, he helped conceptualize the renowned McLaren F1. This sparked his interest in vehicle collection, leading him to amass a precious ensemble of Woking’s finest road cars, epitomizing McLaren’s awe-inspiring journey.