McLaren F1 supercar up for sale again

The McLaren F1 supercar of the 1990s was the magnum opus of SA-born designer Gordon Murray. For many years it was the world’s fastest supercar with a top speed of 386.4km/h and the V12-powered machine still holds the title of fastest normally aspirated car.

Only 106 units of the ultra rare British three-seater were made and one of them is coming up for sale at a Sotheby’s sealed auction in New York, the US, from May 13-16.

The 1995 model is one of the lowest mileage McLaren F1s known, with just 410km on the odometer.

The same car sold for $20.46m (R382m) at auction in 2021, a record price achieved by a McLaren F1 at public auction, and is up for sale once more. The current owner has added just 4.8km to the odometer in the three years since the Gooding & Company’s Monterey Car Week auction.

The car was originally bought by an owner in Japan in 1995, and was delivered with a selection of accessories including a set of custom-fit luggage with the same leather as the car’s cabin. A tool chest, a tool roll and a bespoke Tag Heuer 6000 chronometer watch inscribed with the chassis number 029 were also provided.

After its time in Japan the F1 spent its life in the US where it accrued only 390km in 25 years.

“Today, this king of the 1990s is one of the most valuable cars in the world. F1s officially became eight-figure cars in the mid-2010s,” said Andrew Newton of Hagerty, a leading provider of specialty insurance for classic vehicles.

“As the name suggests this is a sealed bids auction and the final price paid won’t be revealed, but you can bet it will be big.”