RM Sotheby’s wrapped up its landmark Abu Dhabi sale on Friday (December 5th, 2025), marking one of the region’s most significant collector car auctions to date. Held seaside in an open-air setting on the grounds of the picturesque St. Regis, Saadiyat Island Resort, the atmosphere was electric, with the city already buzzing from the ongoing Formula One weekend at Yas Marina, the final race on the F1 calendar.
Our October coverage introduced this sale as part of Abu Dhabi’s inaugural Collector’s Week, establishing the Emirati capital as a serious node in the prestigious global auction calendar. In our previous breakdown of the lineup, we highlighted the mix of modern hypercars, factory specials, and competition-grade machinery set to cross the block.
Originally, 32 lots were consigned, though the Aston Martin One-77 (Lot 421) was later withdrawn, leaving just over 30 cars in the docket. An exclusive pre-auction preview at dusk gave us an up-close look at the cars being offered for sale, building anticipation ahead of the big night. McLaren and Ferrari emerged as the dominant marques, both in presence and final numbers on the board.
Bidding was fierce, on the web, by phone, and on-site, with the sell-through rate of 83 percent and $84.7 US million turnover. The defining moment of the evening came when a 1994 McLaren F1, with Brunei Royal provenance and equipped with the highly desirable High Downforce Kit (HDK that mimics the rare LM-spec cars) installed at the factory in 2007, finally crossed the block for $25.3 million (hammer price: $22.5 million). Chassis #014 of the 64 road-legal Mclaren F1s ever built, was not only the highest sale of the auction, but also one of the most significant automotive transactions seen this year in the collector car world.
Another highlight was the Triple Crown offering from McLaren seen here. For those unaware, Triple Crown is with reference to winning the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Indy 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. McLaren has the distinction of being the only manufacturer to have achieved this feat to date and CEO, Zack Brown aspires to do it again, this time in a single calendar year.
This is the very first time that threefuture competition cars from the British marque 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 either 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) that hit $7.59 million.
At McLaren, we are proud of our motorsport history, and we are the only team who have ever won the Triple Crown. - Mark Norris, Director of Trackside Operations, McLaren Racing
Other noteworthy sales included a Pagani Zonda Riviera (Lot 417) that went for $10.13 million. Originally a Zonda F, it was transformed inside and out, by Pagani with several noteworthy additions including a roof scoop, carbon fiber embellishments, a rear wing and an exquisitely finished Riviera-inspired pearl-white paint with blue accents. Marking one of the earliest public sales of the GMA T.50 (Lot 431), saw a closing price of $5.63 million. This is a car that follows Gordon Murray’s seven cor principles and is a spiritual successor to the McLaren F1.
Ferrari had a powerful showing throughout the event. An Ex- Alain Prost 1990 F40 (Lot 418) closed at $3.88 million, a 2014 LaFerrari (Lot 418) achieved $3.38 million, while a Monza SP2 (Lot 409), part of Ferrari’s Icona Series, reached $2.53 million. Strong figures 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 badge, remain among the most liquid modern collectibles.
Beyond Maranello, a Porsche 918 Weissach Spyder (Lot 419) returned $1.71 million. We previously saw this very example, just a few weeks ago at this year’s 2025 Icons of Porsche over in Dubai. A 1-of-80 2011 Ferrari SA Aperta (Lot 407) that hit $1.56 million, rounded out the top 10 sales of the evening.
McLaren’s Triple Crown sale signals a growing appetite for motorsport assets tied to future grid eligibility rather than historical provenance alone. Adding emotional weight was the presence of the legendary three-time Formula 1 world champion, Ayrton Senna’s Brazilian GP-winning 1991 McLaren Honda MP4/6/1, at the entrance to the auction venue. Finished in the iconic white and red Marlboro livery, it reminded everyone of the Woking-based team’s motorsport legacy is one that goes back decades and is being offered as part of the Sealed - Forever, Senna sale that closes in five days.
Collector cars are rapidly becoming a lucrative alternative asset class for high-net-worth portfolios, something that we covered comprehensively in the Boston Consulting Group study, carried out in collaboration with the duPont REGISTRY Group.
But if there was one key takeaway from Abu Dhabi, it is that collectors are increasingly moving towards modern icons, low-production hypercars, and cultural halo models from the nineties and 2000s. Seven-figure bidding these days, is now as common for contemporary exotics as it once was for pre-war vintage beauties and 1950s/‘60s blue-chip classics. This is a trend that we’ve witnessed throughout the year from Villa d’este, Goodwood and Monterey, where the top sale was a Giallo Ferrari Daytona SP3, that sold for $26 million.
Also, this sale says a lot about the entire GCC region, not as an emerging market but as a comparable player in valuation scale, auction depth, and global buyer engagement. Duccio Lopresto, Managing Director MENA, RM Sotheby’s, touched on this at length, last week during the 1000 Miglia Experience, UAE 2025’s Opening Day. Abu Dhabi’s growing influence in the luxury and auction segments is further supported by a historic $1 billion investment in Sotheby’s. Those watching the auction, from the front rows included Emirati royals, prominent automotive collectors, and CEOs, turning the evening into both a historic sale and a social gathering .
Images: Khris Bharath
