The McLambo That Never Raced: Inside the Lamborghini Museum's Ayrton Senna Exhibition
A 1993 test, a lost partnership, and the exhibition that brought the story to light.
On April 12, 2017, the Lamborghini Museum in Sant'Agata Bolognese opened "Ayrton Senna. The last night," an exhibition curated by motorsport photographer Ercole Colombo and journalist Giorgio Terruzzi.
The Estoril test, September 1993
Senna's first laps in a white, sponsor-free McLaren MP4/8B powered by a Lamborghini V12 came on September 20, 1993, at Portugal's Estoril circuit.
A deal collapses, a driver moves on
McLaren boss Ron Dennis reportedly chose a Peugeot V10 for 1994 instead, and Chrysler, losing appetite for motorsport expenditure, eventually sold Lamborghini.
The V12 philosophy, from road cars to the F1 paddock
The same V12 philosophy that defined the Countach, Diablo, and Murciélago was, for a brief window, competitive at the absolute peak of motorsport.
Lamborghini's episodic motorsport legacy
Lamborghini's motorsport history spans the Miura's spiritual connection to racing, the brief F1 engine program, and the modern Squadra Corse era with the Super Trofeo series and the SC63 LMDh prototype.
Colombo's photographs displayed "like paintings"
Ercole Colombo, one of F1's most respected photographers, shot Senna throughout his career, and the exhibition displayed his images, according to Lamborghini, "like paintings."
Curatorial ambition beyond the showroom
The Senna exhibition represents the kind of curatorial ambition that elevates a factory museum beyond product display into genuine cultural programming, anchored by firsthand participants like Forghieri and Audetto.
Sant'Agata's V12 lineage, past and present
The Aventador S and the then-new Huracán Performante sat alongside the historical cars, a quiet reminder that Sant'Agata's V12 lineage connects the museum's past and present in a single building.
Senna's reaction to the Lamborghini V12
Lamborghini says the V12 filled Senna with enthusiasm, and the driver reportedly wanted to finish the remaining races of the 1993 season with the Lamborghini unit rather than wait for 1994.
An overlooked chapter of F1 history
Road & Track noted that the Lamborghini F1 V12 qualifies as a legitimate, if overlooked, chapter of both Lamborghini and Formula 1 history.
Senna's machines command historic auction prices
Senna's race cars command auction estimates in the tens of millions, with Road & Track reporting a $12 million to $15 million estimate for his 1991 McLaren MP4/6 at a dedicated RM Sotheby's sale.
Every single-seater Senna raced, in one room
The exhibition assembled every single-seat car Senna drove, from his early kart and Formula Fords through the Toleman, Lotus, and McLaren MP4 series to the Williams FW16 from his final, fatal weekend.
A partnership sealed, a precedent set
The Pirelli partnership inaugurated with this show remains active, adding another layer of motorsport context to future visits at Sant'Agata Bolognese.