Ayrton Senna’s Final Honda V10 Engine Up for Auction
Honda Racing Corporation will auction serial number V805 of the RA100E, the final Honda V10 Formula 1 engine driven by Ayrton Senna during the 1990 FIA World Championship. This historic power unit, once installed in the McLaren Honda MP4/5B, will be auctioned on 15 August at the Bonhams Quail Auction in Carmel, California.
HRC launched its memorabilia business in April 2025 to connect devoted motorsport fans with authentic racing artefacts. This venture begins with the extraordinary offering of Senna’s RA100E engine. Precision-disassembled by HRC’s expert mechanics, the complete engine will be displayed in a custom case, showcasing every original part. HRC will also provide a certificate of authenticity, confirming the engine’s provenance.
Senna used engine V805 during warm-up at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka and again in the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide on 4 November 1990. While most Honda F1 engines from this era returned to Japan for performance analysis and dismantling, the V805 escaped disassembly. With development of the next-generation V12 underway, Honda chose to preserve this unit, making it the last race-used V10 engine driven by Senna—a rare and invaluable piece of Formula 1 heritage.
The sale coincides with Monterey Car Week, a celebrated annual gathering on California’s Monterey Peninsula. This prestigious event attracts global collectors to a week of concours shows, historic races, and top-tier auctions. The auction of Senna’s engine promises to draw strong interest from motorsport enthusiasts and serious collectors alike.
HRC intends to expand this initiative within Japan, utilising future auctions and additional platforms to make genuine racing artefacts more accessible to fans worldwide.
