Ayrton Senna's Legendary Lotus 98T Set to Shatter Auction Records

Daily Car

·

18/02/2026

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Ayrton Senna's 1986 Lotus 98T will be sold at auction in March. The car still runs and wears the black-and-gold John Player Special colours. It is the same turbo V6 chassis that Senna drove to two Grand Prix wins and three further podiums.

Key Takeaways

The 1986 Lotus 98T raced by Ayrton Senna heads to auction.
Experts value the car at up to $12 million.
A 1.5-litre Renault turbo V6 sits behind the driver.
Senna scored two victories plus five pole positions with this chassis.
Lanzante restored the car and it remains ready to run.

A Turbocharged Icon

The Lotus 98T belongs to the strongest Formula 1 cars of the mid eighties turbo era. Its 1.5-litre Renault V6 produced about 900 bhp in race tune and 1,200 bhp in qualifying trim. All power reached the rear wheels through a manual gearbox.

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Senna's Championship Contender

Lotus built chassis 98T-3 for Senna alone - he raced it in the first nine rounds of the 1986 season and won in Spain besides Detroit. He also placed second in San Marino, third in Monaco but also third in Belgium and took pole in five of those events.

A Cherished Piece of Motorsport History

The team sold the car to a private buyer in 1988 - since then it has stayed with a small circle of collectors. The present owner bought it in 2016 and commissioned Lanzante to return every system to working order. The original engine was retained - the car starts, idles as well as revs as it did in 1986.

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The Auction Prospect

The sale will take place during the March auction week - because Senna himself drove this chassis to victory and because it still operates, specialists expect it to become the costliest Lotus ever sold.

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