--- title: "Last Honda V10 Raced by F1 Legend Ayrton Senna Is Up for Sale" date: "2025-07-23" modified: "2025-07-23" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/last-honda-v10-raced-by-f1-legend-ayrton-senna-is-up-for-sale" categories: - "F1" - "News" - "Racing" --- # Last Honda V10 Raced by F1 Legend Ayrton Senna Is Up for Sale ![]() *\Honda\* Grab your wallet, log into your 401K, take the hit on your kid's 529b, or maybe even ask your parents for a loan; something very special is coming up for sale, and you'll want to do whatever it takes to bring it home. [Honda]() is auctioning a used V10 [Formula 1]() engine raced by none other than [Ayrton Senna]() during the 1990 FIA Formula One World Championship. Once attached to the back of a McLaren Honda MP4/5B, serial number V805 was used by the three-time F1 champ during the last two race weekends of the [1990 season](). Specifically, the warm-up of the Japanese GP at Suzuka Circuit in October and the race at the Australian GP in Adelaide in November. ![Ayrton Senna drives the #27 Marlboro McLaren Honda MP4/5B during the Mexican Grand Prix on 24 June 1990 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Pascal Rondeau/Getty Images)]() *McLaren Honda MP4/5B. *Pascal Rondeau** Look up stats for the Japanese GP, and you'll notice that Senna placed third during the warm-up session with this very engine, and he went on to qualify first, ahead of his former teammate [Alain Prost](). Presumably, the engine was swapped between the warm-up and qualifying, as Honda's release specifically states it was only used in the former. Or, perhaps, the same engine was used for the rest of the weekends, but it technically did *not* race because Senna crashed into Prost on the first corner of the first lap, ultimately resulting in DNFs for both the McLaren and Ferrari—though it gave Senna his second drivers' title. The Australian GP didn't fare much better for Senna, as he started from pole but failed to finish the race due to a gearbox issue. Fellow Brazilian Nelson Piquet went on to win both of these GPs. The fact that this isn't a race-winning engine hardly takes away from its magic, as ultimately, it is the last V10 engine Senna ever raced. During this era, all engines were sent back to Honda in Japan for disassembly and inspection, and most of them were ultimately discarded. However, being the last V10 before Honda transitioned to V12s, it was left alone and put into storage. It was never disassembled until recently, when it was meticulously taken apart to be placed in its new display case that's headed to auction. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() HRC, Honda Racing Corporation (and HRC US in North America), has embarked on a rather [aggressive mission to grow the business]() side of its operations over the last year, so it's no surprise to see it bringing special stuff like this to the public. It does make me curious what else Honda is hiding in its many warehouses, though. It feels like this is just the beginning. Hosted by Bonhams, the auction will take place on Aug. 15 during Monterey Car Week, so make sure to have your bidder number ready when the action kicks off. Click [here]() for more details. *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()