Ayrton Senna's 1994 Williams FW16 will be up for auction by RM Sotheby's – the car that was gifted to the family of the Brazilian.

One of the two surviving FW16s is up for auction by RM Sotheby's in New York in the Contemporary Art auctions on November 16, 2026. The FW16B-01 chassis will be at auction in the price range of $4,000,000 – $6,000,000.

What's the Story Behind the Ayrton Senna Car?

It is the car that was promised by the F1 team to Senna after the 1994 season, but the Brazilian unfortunately passed away in the horrific incident at the San Marino GP at Imola. However, Williams kept the promise and gifted the car to his family.

For about 30 years, the F1 car had been untouched and kept under the ownership of the Senna family. The car has survived in unrestored condition, with the addition of Senna's personal race seat and a few other changes.

It was recently acquired by the new owner via RM Sotheby's Private Sales in 2024 and will go under the hammer for the first time in New York. It is certainly one of the most historic F1 cars of all time – also the last one that Senna drove.

"Chassis FW16B-01 remained completely untouched for the following 30 years, with a notable exception being the addition of Senna's personal seat, and is today presented in totally preserved, unrestored condition," said the note. "Acquired by the current owner in 2024 having been purchased from the Senna family via RM Sotheby's, it has remained preserved and unused since."

Driven by Three F1 World Champions

The Williams FW16 secured the 1994 constructors' championship after seven wins between Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell. It scored 13 podiums but none from Senna, who retired in the two races he entered.

While Williams took the constructors' title, Hill lost the drivers' championship by one point to Benetton's Michael Schumacher. The FW16 was driven by three F1 world champions that year, who were Senna, Hill and Mansell.

Mansell was one of the two drivers to drive as a replacement for the Brazilian, with David Coulthard being the other. Emmanuel Collard and Jean-Christophe Boullion also got to test the title-winning Williams F1 car.