Ecclestone pays €4.1m for Senna's historic Monaco McLaren

Ayrton Senna's last Monaco Grand Prix-winning McLaren has sold at auction in Monte Carlo, with none other than Bernie Ecclestone forking out more than €4million for it. The former Formula 1 chief is known to be an avid collector of cars and has now added a historic machine to his collection.

The McLaren MP4/8-6 propelled Senna to his sixth and final Monaco victory in his final appearance on the famous streets before his shocking death at Imola the following year, having left McLaren for Williams.

The car remains in immaculate condition and can be run with the original race-winning Ford engine still bolted into the back.

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Senna won the race from third on the grid from Williams' Damon Hill, the Ferrari of Jean Alesi and eventual world champion Alain Prost.

It was far from a simple weekend, though, Senna injured his thumb on Thursday and the car's active suspension suffered problems on the Saturday.

The hammer went down with the price at €3.6m, with Ecclestone eventually paying €4,197,500 after what auctioneers Bonhams described as a "lengthy and spirited bidding exchange".

A 2001-model Ferrari driven by Michael Schumacher remains the most expensive F1 car ever sold, having been auctioned for €6.3m ($7.5m)

It was not the only famous Senna car on sale. Also on show was the Toleman TG184 in which the Brazilian made his debut at the Monaco GP with in 1984.

Senna finished second in treacherously wet conditions, although the result was laced with controversy as Prost was awarded victory when the race was red flagged, despite Senna passing him before the finish line.

The Toleman exceeded its estimate, eventually selling for over €1.6m, with the entire sale fetching a whopping €13.6m.

Philip Kantor, Bonhams European head of motoring, said: "This sale has been an absolute triumph. We achieved astonishing prices across the board and found new owners for some of the most historically important cars to come to public auction in Monaco in recent memory.

"A Monaco sale is always a unique experience, but this has truly exceeded expectations."