Image: Adam Jacobs for Coy's Auctions
The problem with buying a historically significant race car is that your significant other doesn’t always appreciate its value as fine art. You may think that Nigel Mansell’s 1989 Ferrari F640 goes great in your family room, but I suspect your wife will want it relegated to the garage. What if you could blend the best of both worlds, and turn a one-of-a-kind race car into art that everyone (well, almost everyone) could appreciate?
That’s exactly what McLaren did with Ayton Senna’s title-winning 1991 McLaren MP4-6. Rather than leaving the car intact, McLaren disassembled the car and gave it to artist Jay Burridge, whose treatment will be familiar to anyone who’s ever assembled a plastic model kit. Yes, a lot of components are missing, such as the engine, monocoque, seat, steering wheel, instruments, wheels, tires and the rest of the bits that make a race car, but there’s still enough there to make it historically significant. Besides, it’s sculpture now, so your wife (or husband) can’t possibly complain when you mount it to the wall in the living room or dining room.
If you want to take a chance at owning the MP4-6-turned-wall-art, it will be up for bid at next weekend’s Coy’s Auction at the Nürburgring. It’s expected to go for between $50,000 and $82,000, so be sure that you’ve got the money in the bank before you start phoning in your bids. I don’t have a wall big enough for it, otherwise I’d be selling my organs on the black market to raise cash.
Source: Autoblog
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
