RM Sotheby’s concluded its historic sale in Abu Dhabi on Friday (5 December 2025), one of the most important collector car auctions in the region to date. The race was held in an open-air, seaside setting on the grounds of the picturesque St. Regis, Saadiyat Island Resort. The atmosphere was electric and the city was already buzzing with the ongoing Formula 1 weekend at Yas Marina, the last race on the F1 calendar.
Our October coverage introduced this sale as part of Abu Dhabi’s first Collector’s Week, establishing the Emirati capital as a serious focal point on the prestigious global auction calendar. In our previous lineup breakdown we highlighted the mix of modern hypercars, factory specials and competition-quality machines ready to cross the border.
Originally 32 lots were consigned, although the Aston Martin One-77 (lot 421) was later withdrawn, leaving just over 30 cars on the roll. An exclusive preview before the sunset auction gave us a close-up look at the cars up for sale, helping us anticipate the big night. McLaren and Ferrari emerged as the dominant brands, both in terms of presence and final numbers on the board.
Bidding was intense across the Internet, telephone and on-site, with an 83 percent sell-through rate and $84.7 million in sales. The defining moment of the evening came when a 1994 McLaren F1, of Brunei Royal provenance and fitted with the highly sought-after High Downforce Kit (HDK emulating the rare LM-spec cars) installed at the factory in 2007, finally crossed the border for $25.3 million (hammer price: $22.5 million). Chassis No. 014, of the 64 road-legal McLaren F1s ever built, was not only the highest sale at the auction, but also one of the most significant car transactions seen in the collector car world this year.
Another highlight was McLaren’s Triple Crown offering seen here. For those who don’t know, Triple Crown refers to winning the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monaco, the Indy 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. McLaren has the distinction of being the only manufacturer to achieve this feat to date and CEO Zack Brown aims to do it again, this time in one calendar year.
This is the very first time that threefuture competition cars from the British brand went under the hammer. The 2026 Arrow McLaren IndyCar DW12 (lot 428) that Pato O’ Ward will drive achieved $848,750. The 2026 MCL40A McLaren Formula 1 chassis (lot 429), destined for Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri next season, went for $11.48 million. It was followed by the 2027 McLaren United WEC LMDh Hypercar (Lot 430), which sold for $7.59 million.
At McLaren we are proud of our motorsport history and are the only team to ever win the Triple Crown. – Mark Norris, Director of Trackside Operations, McLaren Racing
Other notable sales included a Pagani Zonda Riviera (lot 417) that realized $10.13 million. Originally a Zonda F, it was transformed inside and out by Pagani with a number of notable additions, including a roof scoop, carbon fiber embellishments, a rear wing and a beautifully finished Riviera-inspired pearl white paint job with blue accents. Marking one of the first public sales of the GMA T.50 (lot 431) it saw a closing price of $5.63 million. This is a car that follows Gordon Murray’s seven core principles and is a spiritual successor to the McLaren F1.
Ferrari put on a powerful show during the event. An ex-Alain Prost F40 from 1990 (lot 418) closed at $3.88 million, a 2014 LaFerrari (lot 418) realized $3.38 million, while a Monza SP2 (lot 409), part of Ferrari’s Icona Series, achieved $2.53 million. Strong numbers continued for other recent Ferraris such as the F12tdf, 812 Competizione and 458 Speciale A, each confirming that limited-series exotics with a prancing horse emblem are among the most liquid of modern collectibles.
Outside Maranello, a Porsche 918 Weissach Spyder (lot 419) sold for $1.71 million. We saw this example before, just a few weeks ago, at this year’s 2025 Icons of Porsche in Dubai. A 1-of-80 2011 Ferrari SA Aperta (lot 407) that fetched $1.56 million rounded out the top 10 sales of the evening.
McLaren’s Triple Crown sale signals growing demand for motorsport assets linked to future grid participation, rather than just historical provenance. The emotional weight was further increased by the presence of legendary three-time Formula 1 world champion Ayrton Senna Brazilian GP-winning 1991 McLaren Honda MP4/6/1at the entrance of the auction location. Finished in the iconic white and red Marlboro livery, it reminded everyone that the Woking team’s motorsport legacy is one that stretches back decades and is offered as part of the Sealed – Forever, Senna Sale which closes in five days.
Collectible cars are quickly becoming a lucrative alternative asset class for high net worth portfolios, something we discussed in detail in the Research from the Boston Consulting Group, conducted in collaboration with the duPont REGISTRY Group.
But if there’s one key takeaway from Abu Dhabi, it’s that collectors are increasingly moving towards modern icons, low-production hypercars and cultural halo models from the 1990s and 2000s. Seven-figure bidding is as common these days for contemporary exotics as it once was for pre-war vintage beauties and blue-chip classics from the 1950s/60s. This is a trend we’ve seen throughout the year at Villa d’este, Goodwood and Monterey, where the top sale was a Giallo Ferrari Daytona SP3, which sold for $26 million.
This sale also says a lot about the entire GCC region, not as an emerging market, but as a comparable player in terms of valuation scale, auction depth and global buyer engagement. Duccio Lopresto, Managing Director MENA, RM Sotheby’s, discussed this in detail last week during the 1000 Miglia Experience, the opening day of UAE 2025. Abu Dhabi’s growing influence in the luxury and auction segments is further supported by historical figures $1 billion investment in Sotheby’s. Those watching the auction from the front rows included Emirati royals, prominent car collectors and CEOs, making the evening both a historic sale and a social gathering.
Images: Khris Bharat
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