Ron Dennis Could Own 13 of McLaren’s Most Valuable Cars

The newly former McLaren boss’s collection includes championship cars from Senna, Prost, and Hamilton.

byCaleb Jacobs|
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Longtime McLaren staple Ron Dennis officially left the British marque at the end of June, relinquishing his 37 year tenure. The man was largely responsible for the team's success in Formula One during the '80s and, in turn, the supercar superiors that the brand develops today. He reportedly sold off his 11 percent share in McLaren Automotive as well as his 25 percent share in the McLaren Technology Group, equaling up to nearly $358 million. But recent news has broke that if the manufacturer at Woking fails to pay Dennis back his shares, then he could end up with 13 of the company's most valuable cars from its history, according to Motorsport.

This list includes some of the most noteworthy cars in Formula One history. The oldest of the bunch is the MP4-1, the first car in Formula One to use carbon fiber construction in 1981. This one surely holds a special place with Dennis as it was his first collaboration with the brand after it merged with his Project 4 company back in the day. Equally as impressive is the list of world champion cars that were actually driven in the deciding races, ranging from Niki Lauda (1984), to Alain Prost (1989), Ayrton Senna (1990 and 1991), Mika Hakkinen (1998 and 1999) and Lewis Hamilton (2008).

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While it's unlikely that things will end up panning out this way for Dennis, it's nice to have some assurance that his efforts will be repayed. McLaren team boss Zak Brown was quoted earlier on saying that the finances for Dennis' shares were already put back, claiming "it's done". 

“I am very pleased to have reached agreement with my fellow McLaren shareholders," Dennis said. "It represents a fitting end to my time at McLaren, and will enable me to focus on my other interests. I have always said that my 37 years at Woking should be considered as a chapter in the McLaren book, and I wish McLaren every success as it takes the story forward."

Either way, that sounds like our kind of severance package. After all, he was one of the greatest figures in motorsport during what many consider to be the pinnacle of F1. And no matter how it plays out, he'll always be remembered as such.

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