McLaren Senna in Senna Sempre Livery

McLaren pays tribute to Ayrton Senna with unique liveries inspired by his legacy, showcased on a heritage McLaren Senna and the MCL38 Formula 1 cars that will race in the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix and we can now reveal that we have been collaborating with McLaren Automotive to develop an exclusive Limited Edition of 1:8 scale models perfectly replicating the McLaren Senna in its newly revealed Senna Sempre livery. Limited to just 30 pieces, this special edition is a celebration of the life and legacy of legendary Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna, and will become a much sought after collectable, especially appealing to McLaren Racing’s most ardent followers who also appreciate art and design. The #1 model in the edition has already been delivered to McLaren Automotive in time for the real car’s launch ahead of this year’s Monaco Grand Prix. Number #30 in the edition has been reserved for the Senna family, whilst the remaining 28 models in this exceptional edition are now available to pre-order exclusively and directly on our website or through our sales team. 

McLaren Senna in Senna Sempre Livery

McLaren is marking 30 years of Ayrton Senna’s incredible legacy of performance with a powerful and emotive tribute that visually represents his vibrant personality and outlook on life, and his three Formula 1 World Championship titles and five Monaco Grand Prix victories with McLaren.

In parallel with a one-off livery for the MCL38 Formula 1 cars that will be driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren Automotive celebrates Ayrton Senna’s talent, racing achievements and more with the Senna Sempre livery; a unique, hand-painted tribute to Ayrton applied on a pre-production McLaren Senna from McLaren’s own heritage collection.

The Senna Sempre livery has been created as part of McLaren’s ongoing association with the Ayrton Senna Institute. It showcases not only the peerless paint mastery and craftmanship that McLaren Automotive is uniquely placed to deliver through McLaren Special Operations (MSO), but also distinctive visuals honouring the Formula 1 career of Ayrton Senna, his tenacious drive for perfection, Brazilian nationality and McLaren racing history - including on the streets of Monaco - through bright and bold paint colours and bespoke interior treatments.

In creating the Senna Sempre, McLaren transformed the visuals of a pre-production McLaren Senna that is part of its own heritage collection. Used for vehicle attribute validation of the high levels of performance and engagement in the McLaren Senna production models that followed, the car was also extensively captured on camera to support the original launch campaign and was one of the cars at the global media test drive, held at the Estoril Grand Prix circuit in June 2018.

Paints selected for the Senna Sempre livery reflect the colours of the Brazilian flag, with bright yellow, green and blue tones brought together using a wash technique newly developed by MSO. This technique allows the paints to blend into each other without creating any additional colours, while also evoking speed and the movement of a waving flag. This effect is also applied to the McLaren badge on the nose of the car.

The McLaren Senna in Senna Sempre Livery Model at 1:8 scale

Each model is the result of 3000 plus hours of skilled design and development. The basis of the model is the confidential CAD data shared with us by McLaren Automotive. Exercising all their outstanding skill and artistry, the team set about reworking the CAD before 3D printing and hand working hundreds of patterns. Moulds were made, and every part was cast in prototyping resin, then fettled and fitted, painted and assembled into these impressive artworks in a process that takes over 300 hours in total.

The theme includes vibrant colours inspired by Ayrton’s iconic racing helmet, alongside the subtle inclusion of symbolic numbers from his career. But perhaps the most significant detail is the quote inscribed within the cockpit "I have no idols. I admire work, dedication and competence" – words from Ayrton himself that perfectly capture MSO’s approach to this remarkable livery.

The McLaren Senna

Legalised for road use, but not sanitised to suit it, the McLaren Senna is the personification of McLaren’s DNA at its most extreme, creating the purest connection between car and driver. Inspired by one of McLaren’s greatest racing drivers, the Senna is utterly dedicated to allowing the driver to be the best they can possibly be, unashamedly without compromise. Nothing else matters but to deliver the most intense driving experience around a circuit in the most track-focused road car to be produced by McLaren.

The lightest McLaren road car since the iconic McLaren F1 weighs 1198kg thanks to the extensive use of carbon fibre. The Senna also houses a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8, the most powerful McLaren road car internal combustion engine. This combination creates a staggering power-to-weight ratio of 659bhp-per-tonne. It is the most direct and responsive McLaren ever built, establishing a new track benchmark for the British marque. A dual-clutch, seamless-shift, seven-speed gearbox delivers power from the mid-mounted engine to the rear wheels which, combined with Formula 1 adopted Ignition Cut technology, delivers savage acceleration: 0-62mph (100km/h) is achieved in 2.8 seconds, 0-124mph (200km/h) in 6.8 seconds and 0-186mph (300km/h) in 18.8 seconds. The Senna can complete the standing quarter mile in just 9.9 seconds, roaring to a maximum speed of 208mph (335km/h). In the pursuit of the most rewarding and intuitive driving experience, the Senna is armed with pioneering active aerodynamics that generate unprecedented levels of downforce – up to 800kg – and revolutionary suspension technology originally developed for the McLaren P1. The braking system is the most advanced ever fitted to a McLaren road car. The next-generation carbon ceramic brakes utilise racing technology, and each disc takes seven months to create – seven times longer than a conventional carbon ceramic disc. The resulting braking performance is phenomenal: 124mph (200km/h) to standstill is achieved in just 100 metres, and less than 30 metres is covered when stopping from 62mph (100km/h). Due to its extreme performance, the McLaren Senna possesses bespoke tyres, developed in conjunction with technical partner Pirelli, that feature an asymmetrical tread pattern, providing outstanding lateral grip, and a special construction that maintains cornering stiffness.

The extremely aggressive appearance of the McLaren Senna epitomises the company’s ‘form-follows-function’ design philosophy. Downforce and aerodynamic balance are the guiding principles and the car’s designers have gone to extremes. Proportionally, it is recognisably a McLaren though, in pursuit of absolute performance, the McLaren Senna is purposely fragmented in its appearance. For McLaren’s design team, it honours the engineering of the vehicle in the most honest way. Only 500 are to be produced.

This fine 1:8 scale Special Edition model of the McLaren Senna in Senna Sempre Livery, is a stunning tribute and celebration of the life and legacy of the legendary Formula 1 Driver Ayrton Senna. It has been handcrafted and finished in our workshops using detailed colour and material specifications, and reworked CAD data supplied directly from McLaren Automotive. Furthermore, it has undergone detailed scrutiny by both engineering and design teams to ensure complete accuracy of representation.

The Special Edition McLaren Senna in Senna Sempre livery is limited to 30 pieces.