No other Senna in the world comes with an image of the wizard of legend
by Kirby Garlitos, on LISTEN 02:23A one-off McLaren Senna that’s been customized by McLaren Special Operations is up for auction on Bring A Trailer. The unit, number 401 of the 500 Sennas made, is unique for several reasons, none more significant than the “Merlin” name it’s been bestowed. The one-of-a-kind Senna “Merlin” currently has a bid of $900,000 with eight days left in the auction.
In the world of McLaren, the Senna is a unicorn among unicorns. Only 500 units of the Senna exist, and one of them takes the definition of exclusivity to magical heights. It’s called the McLaren Senna Merlin, named so after King Arthur’s go-to wizard to celebrate the work of McLaren MSO’s own bespoke paint magician, Darren “Merlin” Townsend.
The one-off Senna Merlin wears a pearlescent Sorcerer’s Black finish with matching gold accents throughout the body. These include golden Merlin scripts on the wind endplates written in the proper McLaren font. The interior is lavish with plenty of gold trim adding a magical touch to a cabin that’s predominantly finished in fine leather, Alcantara, and exposed carbon fiber. The same Merlin script can be found on the headrests and the oft-forgotten accelerator pedal gets some attention with a moon-and-stars motif.
On the driver’s side door is a little mural of Merlin himself wearing a purple robe with a wand in his left hand. The bearded one is seen tracing the outline of the Interlagos race track in Brazil. That’s a subtle nod to the home track of the legendary F1 driver from which the supercar gets its name.
Nothing magical happens to the Senna Merlin’s 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 engine
. It still produces 789 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, all sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
It takes the Senna Merlin 2.8 seconds to sprint from 0 to 60 mph before maxing out at a top speed of 211 mph.
The Senna Merlin is also equipped with a suite of tech and safety systems, including launch control, RaceActive Chassis Control II, adjustable damping and roll modes, multiple stability-control modes, Variable Drift Control, and Brake Steer, among others.
Source: Bring A Trailer