Honda Racing Corporation To Auction Senna’s Last Honda V10 Engine

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) will auction the number V805 of RA100E, the last Honda V10 engine raced by Ayrton Senna in the 1990 FIA Formula One World Championship, which was installed in the McLaren Honda MP4/5B. The auction will take place on August 15 in Carmel, California, at the Bonhams Quail Auction.

Link to Bonhams Auction: Honda V10 RA100E Engine

The memorabilia business, announced as a new venture by HRC in April 2025, aims to offer core motorsport fans globally the opportunity to own a piece of genuine motorsport history by selling valuable race machines, engines, and their parts. The first item in this venture is Senna’s V10 engine.

The engine, carefully disassembled by HRC’s skilled mechanics, will be auctioned in a beautiful display case containing all parts. This particular serial #V805 engine was used by Senna during the warm-up session of the Japanese Grand Prix held at Suzuka Circuit in October 1990 and in the race session at the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide on November 4, 1990. An original certificate from HRC proving the authenticity of the engine will be included.

Typically, Honda F1 engines from this era were returned to Japan for analysis, disassembled to check for wear and fatigue, and often discarded. However, since 1990 was the last year for the V10 engine and development of the V12 engine for the following year had already begun, the V805 was preserved in its original state without being disassembled. This makes it the last Honda F1 V10 engine actually used by Ayrton Senna in a race, a very valuable piece of history.

Every August, the Monterey Peninsula in California hosts the “Monterey Car Week,” a week-long event featuring concours, auctions, and historic car races. Enthusiasts and collectors from around the world gather to see and bid on historically significant automobiles.