If you’ve ever seen Zak Brown roaming a Formula 1 paddock, you know the vibe. He’s the high-energy American who basically saved McLaren from its mid-2010s nosedive. But honestly, his real office isn't at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking. It’s a warehouse in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.
That’s where the Zak Brown car collection lives.
It isn't just a bunch of shiny toys for a rich guy. Most billionaire collections are sterile—climate-controlled vaults where cars go to die. Zak’s stuff? It’s different. It’s loud, it’s oily, and half the time, the cars are being thrashed around a track like they’re still fighting for a world title. He doesn’t just collect cars; he collects moments of history that most of us only ever saw on a bedroom poster.
The Crown Jewels: Senna, Hakkinen, and the McLaren Legacy
You can't talk about Zak without talking about Ayrton Senna.
The centerpiece of his garage is the McLaren MP4/6, the very car Senna used to win the 1991 Monaco Grand Prix. Think about that for a second. This is the last V12-powered, manual-gearbox car to ever win a world championship. Zak famously calls it the "crown jewel." Interestingly, he used to have a rule that he had to fit into every car he bought. He eventually realized that was a dumb rule because it meant he couldn't own some of the greatest F1 cars ever made. He’s a big guy; Senna was not.
So, he bought the MP4/6 anyway. He can't drive it, but he let Emerson Fittipaldi take it for a spin at Goodwood. That’s the kind of flex only a true enthusiast makes.
Then there’s Mika Häkkinen’s MP4/16. This is the car Mika used to win the 2001 British Grand Prix. It’s a screaming V10 monster. It represents the era when McLaren was the absolute benchmark for cool. Zak also holds the keys to Lewis Hamilton’s 2013 Mercedes (the first one he won in) and his MP4-23 from 2008.
- Ayrton Senna’s 1991 MP4/6: The Monaco winner. Pure V12 noise.
- Mika Häkkinen’s 2001 MP4/16: A British GP victor.
- James Hunt’s McLaren M26: For when you want that 70s swagger.
- Alan Jones’ Williams FW07: Proof that he appreciates the rivals too.
Why the IndyCar Obsession Matters
Zak is American to his core, and his collection reflects that. While most F1 bosses are obsessed with European heritage, Zak’s garage is stuffed with American open-wheel history.
He owns Mario Andretti’s 1987 Lola. This is the car Mario dominated the Long Beach Grand Prix with. For Zak, this car is personal—it’s the one that made him fall in love with racing as a kid. He also has Emerson Fittipaldi’s Penske PC18, the 1989 Indy 500 winner.
Walking through his warehouse is basically like walking through a 1:1 scale history book of the CART era. You've got Nigel Mansell’s 1993 title-winning Lola. You’ve got Rick Mears’ machinery. It’s a reminder that before he was a corporate titan, Zak was just a kid in California dreaming of the Brickyard.
The "Oddballs" and the 1970s Vibes
The Zak Brown car collection isn't just high-downforce wings and slick tires.
He’s got a weirdly deep love for the Ford Capri. Not just any Capri, but the Works RS3100 and the RS2600. These are the blue-and-white monsters that used to battle in the European Touring Car Championship. He actually races these in historic events. In fact, he recently teamed up with nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen to drive the Capri at Estoril.
And then there's the 1972 Condor RV.
This thing is legendary. It’s a massive, orange motorhome that was used by the McLaren team in the 70s. It’s got wood paneling, an 8-track player, and a "Thermasan" waste system that supposedly incinerates sewage using exhaust heat. Yeah, it’s as gross and cool as it sounds. Zak tracked it down and restored it because it’s a piece of the McLaren "vibe" that would have been lost to a junkyard otherwise.
The Business of United Autosports
It’s important to understand that this isn’t just a private garage. Most of these cars are managed by United Autosports, the racing team Zak co-founded with Richard Dean.
Based in Wakefield, United is one of the biggest names in sports car racing. They don't just win Le Mans in the LMP2 class; they also have a massive historic department. This is where the magic happens. When Zak wants to run his Lotus 79 (the "Black Beauty" that Mario Andretti won the '78 title in), the United boys are the ones pulling the wrenches.
They’ve turned car collecting into a high-performance ecosystem. They restore, they maintain, and they race. It’s a living collection. If a car sits too long, it’s not doing its job.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Value
People always ask: "What is the Zak Brown car collection worth?"
The short answer? Millions. The long answer? It’s almost impossible to calculate.
In late 2025, a 2026-spec McLaren F1 car (the MCL40A) sold at auction for over $11 million. That’s for a car that hadn't even raced yet! Now imagine the value of a car that Senna actually won Monaco in. Or the Lotus 79 that pioneered ground-effect aerodynamics. We are talking about $15 million to $20 million per "A-list" car.
But Zak isn't a flipper. He rarely sells. He’s a hoarder of history. He’s the guy who buys the car everyone else forgot about because he remembers a specific lap it did in 1984.
The 2026 Shift
As we head into the 2026 F1 season with the new regulations, Zak’s collection is becoming even more relevant. While the new cars are lighter and use active aero, they are miles away from the raw, mechanical purity of his 1991 MP4/6. He uses these old cars as a touchstone. They remind the current McLaren team of what "great" looks like.
Actionable Insights for the Aspiring Collector
You probably don't have $100 million sitting under your mattress to buy an F1 car. That's fine. But there’s a lesson in how Zak builds his garage that applies to anyone:
- Buy the Story, Not the Metal: Zak buys cars that mean something to him personally (like the Mario Andretti Lola). Don't buy a car just because a "market expert" says it’ll go up. Buy the one that makes you want to go into the garage at 2 AM just to look at it.
- Maintenance is Everything: A race car that doesn't run is just a very expensive sculpture. If you’re going to collect, have a plan for keeping the thing alive.
- Don't Be Afraid of the "Odd": Everyone wants a Ferrari. Not everyone has the guts to restore a 1972 McLaren team motorhome. Often, the weirdest items in a collection are the ones that spark the most conversation.
- Provenance Over Paint: Zak’s cars are valuable because of the chassis numbers and the logbooks. Always verify the history. A car "driven by" a legend is worth way more than one "painted like" a legend’s car.
Zak Brown is basically a fan who won the lottery and decided to buy his childhood. It's loud, it's orange, and it's probably the coolest garage on the planet. Whether he's at the helm of McLaren or racing a Capri at Goodwood, he's proof that you don't have to grow up—you just get faster toys.
