VIN: the Ben Pon Jr. / Jay Leno McLaren F1 chassis 015
History of chassis 015
Chassis 015 was the 15th McLaren F1 built and one of 25 examples completed in 1994.
Of the 64 F1 road cars manufactured between 1993 and 1998, four were originally painted metallic Jet Black.
Of these, only chassis 015 came with a red stripe down each flank which was similar to the design carried out on chassis 002 (originally delivered to the Sultan of Brunei). Inside, 015 was upholstered with black leather, a red leather driver’s seat insert and red stitching.
It was displayed at the Birmingham Motor Show in October 1994 and purchased by former Dutch racing driver, Ben Pon Jr.
Pon’s father (Ben Pon Sr.) had a background in the automotive industry. In 1947, his company became the Dutch importer for Volkswagen.
Pon’s Automobielhandel was then appointed as the Porsche distributor for Holland in 1948.
In 1949, Pon Sr. began exporting Volkswagens and Porsches to the USA which soon made him a multimillionaire.
His son began racing with a Porsche 356 Super in 1960. Pon Jr. quickly moved up to a 356 Carrera which was replaced by a 356 B Carrera Abarth GTL for 1961.
Between 1961 and 1963, Pon Jr. raced the GTL extensively and racked up several wins. He also appeared with the Porsche factory team on multiple occasions, including at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
For the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix, Pon Jr. borrowed a Porsche 787 F1 car from his friend, Carel Godin de Beaufort. Unfortunately, Pon Jr. flipped the car during the event and vowed never to race a single seater again.
In 1963, Pon Jr. established Racing Team Holland to support drivers from the Netherlands. Pon Jr. acquired Porsche 904s which were followed by 906s, 910s and various 911s. Minis and BMWs were also raced in Touring Cars. Over the next few years, the orange machines from Racing Team Holland became a common sight around Europe.
After his retirement from motor sport, Pon Jr. focused on the wine business. He acquired the oldest wine negotiating business in the Netherlands and established the Bernardus Winery in Carmel Valley, California.
Ben Pon Jr. kept chassis 015 for around a year. He subsequently sold it to American TV host, comedian and actor, Jay Leno.
Having appeared in several minor TV and film roles, Leno got his big break on The Tonight Show in 1977. He performed guest comedy routines and, from 1986, became a regular substitute for host, Johnny Carson.
In 1992, Leno replaced Carson as host of The Tonight Show.
A noted car and motorcycle collector with over 250 vehicles dating back to the steam-powered era, Leno reputedly purchased 015 for $800,000. The car currently resides at his 122,000 square foot garage in Burbank, California.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Mike Roberts - https://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmic_spanner/ & Jay Leno’s Garage - https://www.nbc.com/jay-lenos-garage
