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This newly broken-in McLaren F1 goes under the hammer for an astronomical sum

July 28, 2025

The holy grail of supercars

The McLaren F1 has long been considered the ultimate collector’s item among stone-rich petrolheads. Only 106 were ever built, of which only 64 are street-legal. Chassis number 062 is one of them, and a rare one at that, having been shipped directly to the US in 1997 – something that happened only seven times.

What makes this example extra special: it was never really modified to meet the stringent American safety and emissions requirements. While other imported F1s were radically rebuilt, this one remained largely untouched. Yet it simply got a license plate in California and remained there for nearly three decades in the same region. Its first owner was none other than Larry Ellison, the Silicon Valley billionaire and founder of Oracle. The car never left the Silicon Valley and after Ellison passed into the hands of other tech millionaires.

Photo: RM Sotheby’s

10,000 km

Although the F1 is known as a driver’s car par excellence – light, analogous and lightning fast – this one has been remarkably little used. In nearly 30 years, the odometer ticked less than 6,500 miles, or just over 10,000 kilometers.

That doesn’t mean, by the way, that the car has been gathering dust. It has been carefully maintained, including by McLaren Special Operations in England and McLaren Philadelphia – the only official F1 service point in the US. From new radiators and a sports exhaust to aluminum fuel tanks and a complete transmission overhaul, no expense was spared to keep this supercar in top condition.

Photo: RM Sotheby’s

What do you get for your millions?

In addition to the car itself – finished in Magnesium Silver with black leather and a gray driver’s seat – the buyer gets an impressive collection of original accessories. These include manuals, a luggage kit, a tool roll, a McLaren detailing kit and even the original modem with accompanying laptop for reading the engine management.

The V12 – a masterpiece by BMW’s Paul Roche – still runs like a breeze and recently received twelve new spark plugs and a fresh battery. The gold foil in the engine compartment, which dissipates heat, was also renewed where necessary.

Photo: RM Sotheby’s

An icon who was ahead of his time

The McLaren F1 is still the fastest atmospheric production car ever built. With a top speed of 391 mph, achieved in 1998 by Le Mans winner Andy Wallace, it is a feat that to this day has not been surpassed by a car without a turbocharger or supercharger. That in a package smaller than a first-generation Porsche Boxster, with three seats side by side and a weight under 1,200 pounds.

A rare opportunity

Those bidding at the Sotheby’s auction on Aug. 17 in Monterey will have to pay big bucks. The auction house expects 23 million to be no problem, but a (much) higher amount is obvious. After all, the F1 has become a pure investment object, as it seems to become worth a million more every year.

Also read: Here are the 100 McLaren F1 cars still in existence