Its engine bay is wrapped with approximately 16 grams of gold foil, the driver sits bang in the center, and it once held the title of world’s fastest production car. The McLaren F1 is to the automotive world what Concorde represents to commercial aviation. Almost two decades after the final model rolled off the line, the most iconic road-going McLaren of them all continues to hold the record for the fastest naturally aspirated car in the world.
The Woking-based automaker manufactured 106 copies of the F1 in various flavors, and chassis number 44 here is the 37th road-going example ever built. A single-owner car that sports the original Base Silver paintwork and black/gray Connolly leather upholstery, chassis number 44 also happens to be the first of seven F1s federalized to U.S. standards by Ameritech.
A genuine time capsule, the first U.S.-legal McLaren F1 will headline the Quail Lodge Auction. Bonhams refused to give a pre-sale estimate on the rarefied hypercar. Thus, all we can do is to look back at past results. A 1995 McLaren F1 just like #44 crossed the block in 2010 for $3,575,000, whereas an LM-spec F1 finished in 1998 changed hands in 2015 for $13.75 million.
Having passed U.S. regulations and all necessary tests, the owner of #44 turned his Macca back to original factory specifications. Since it left its stomping ground of Woking, the F1 pictured in the adjacent gallery has been driven with utmost care for roughly 9,700 miles (15,610 kilometers).
Many of those miles were racked up during a road trip in Europe, which started from McLaren’s headquarters and continued through France, Germany, and Belgium only to finish in the Netherlands. Other than the car itself, the lucky bastard who will bid the most on chassis number 44 will also receive the original tool kit and luggage set, McLaren-branded mechanic gloves, owner’s manual and documentation, and even the detailing kit.
On that note, here’s Bonhams trying to make a pitch to interested car collectors: “It is as likely that the elements of a pure-blooded racing machine will never be so well integrated into such an ultimately satisfying road car, as it is likely that there will never again be an opportunity to purchase a single owner F1 with the incredible provenance and history of 044.”
UPDATE
The V12-powered blast from the past sold for $14.2 million, not including the 10% buyer's fee that brings the total price to $15.6 million. In other words, you're looking at the most expensive McLaren F1 ever.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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