HRC Unveils Memorabilia, Auctions Senna Honda V10 at The Quail
Honda Racing Corporation, the global racing arm of Honda, launches a new merchandise and memorabilia business this week during California’s famed Monterey Car Week, the world’s premier gathering for automotive and motorsport enthusiasts. To commemorate the launch, HRC will auction the Honda V10 engine used by Ayrton Senna in his McLaren Honda MP4/5B during the final two rounds of the 1990 Formula 1 season.
Bonhams will handle the sale at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, at Quail Lodge on 15 August, where the historic engine sits artfully presented in a bespoke case for collectors of Honda memorabilia and Formula 1 history.
“Throughout our history, Honda has won at the highest levels of motorsports all over the world, and the new HRC merchandise and memorabilia business is all about sharing our incredible racing heritage with our race fans in exciting new ways,” said Jon Ikeda, senior vice president, Honda Racing Corporation US. “HRC will build an even stronger connection with Honda and Acura enthusiasts by offering exclusive opportunities to own a piece of racing history, including limited-edition collectables and rare artefacts from our storied legacy in motorsport.”
HRC also celebrates more than six decades of two-wheel and four-wheel motorsport heritage during Monterey Car Week. Iconic Honda and Acura racing machines appear at both The Quail and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca Raceway from 13 to 16 August, including championship winners from F1, IMSA, World Challenge and the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.
The 1990 Formula 1 season marked the final year for the Honda V10. This specific unit, V805, powered Senna’s McLaren Honda MP4/5B during the last two rounds, making it the final Honda V10 Formula One engine raced by the three-time world champion in 1988, 1990 and 1991. The team used it in warm-up at the Japanese Grand Prix, round 15, and ran it at the Australian Grand Prix, round 16. Senna secured his second Drivers’ Championship that year, while he and teammate Gerhard Berger delivered McLaren Honda a third consecutive Constructors’ Championship.
At the time, Honda sent all F1 engines back to Japan immediately after each race to dismantle, investigate and apply learnings to future development. Retaining used engines proved costly, so teams typically disposed of them after diagnosis, which explains why few historic Formula One power units survive. As the last Honda V10, and with V12 development for the 1991 season already underway, HRC did not need to dismantle this engine. Instead of disposing of it, the company archived the unit, where it remained until recently.
Technicians at the HRC facility in Sakura, Japan, have faithfully disassembled the RA100E V805, with the original builders handling the work on this special winning engine. The auction lot includes internal and external components such as camshafts, cam covers, pistons and connecting rods. A bespoke display case houses all items, and an original HRC certificate of authenticity accompanies the engine, enhancing its appeal to collectors seeking rare Honda Racing Corporation artefacts.
Across Monterey Car Week, HRC displays and demonstrates multiple race championship-winning machines in celebration of the company’s racing success, the 60th anniversary of the first Honda F1 victory and the 75th anniversary of Formula 1. The Honda RA272, winner of the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix and the brand’s first F1 win just one year after entering the sport, appears at both The Quail and the Motorsports Reunion. The Williams FW11, which delivered Honda its first F1 Constructors’ title in 1986, takes part in F1 Exhibition demo laps at the Motorsports Reunion with two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato at the wheel, following a complete restoration with Williams F1 and a recent run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The McLaren Honda MP4/7, a five-time race winner in 1992, including the Monaco Grand Prix and the closing chapter of a dominant McLaren Honda partnership in its second era of F1, goes on display at the Motorsports Reunion. The 2025 Red Bull Racing RB21 show car represents the current F1 entry, powered by the Honda RBPTH003, with wins at the Japanese and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix, and it also appears at the Motorsports Reunion.
Endurance and sports car highlights include the Acura ARX 01b, a multiple race winner in 2008, which its private owner enters in the Scott Pruett Legends of Endurance Cup at the Motorsports Reunion. The entry marks the car’s second appearance in the historic races after its maiden outing and win in 2024 with former Acura IMSA driver Ricky Taylor. Acura also showcases its current IMSA GTP entry, the number 93 ARX 06 in Phillips 66 livery, at The Quail and the Motorsports Reunion, reinforcing Acura and Honda’s presence in IMSA.
In World Challenge history, the Realtime Racing Acura NSX GT, driven by SCCA Hall of Famer Peter Cunningham, won eight races across three seasons, including the 1997 Drivers’ Championship. The car returned in 2001 and finished second in the Championship in consecutive years. It now competes in the Scott Pruett Legends of Endurance Cup at the Motorsports Reunion, driven by current Acura IMSA driver Nick Yelloly, strengthening the link between HRC merchandise, Acura performance, and track-proven engineering.
Motorcycle heritage from the Isle of Man TT also features. The Honda RC145, number 6, won all ten rounds of the 1962 World Grand Prix and the TT races with Luigi Taveri. Its high-revving 125 cc four-stroke parallel twin engine produces a sharp, unforgettable sound, and the motorcycle goes on display at The Quail. The Honda RC163, introduced for 1962 as an evolution of the World Championship-winning RC162, is a four-cylinder 250 cc machine ridden to victory by Jim Redman, who won the 250 cc World Championship that year alongside the 350 cc title. This motorcycle also appears at The Quail.
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Honda’s first F1 win, Honda partners with Amalgam Collection to create highly detailed models of the Honda RA272 that triumphed at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. Collectors can acquire one of only 30 limited edition 1:8 scale models worldwide. In contrast, 300 examples of the smaller 1:18 scale will be produced, offering another authentic way to own a piece of Honda Racing Corporation history.
