McLaren F1 road car sets record price at auction
A unique ‘time capsule’ McLaren F1 road car has set a record auction price of $20.465 million at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions tonight.
With less than 390 kilometres (243 miles) on its odometer, this spectacular example of the F1 was sold in its ‘as delivered’ state and surpassed the previous record for a McLaren F1 road car of $15.62 million set in 2017. Only an example that had been converted at the McLaren Special Operations Woking factory to ultra-rare LM specification has come close in the recent past, selling for $19.8 million in 2019.
Chassis 029, which has rarely been seen in public, having spent most of its existence hidden away in a private Japanese collection, attracted spirited bidding as it crossed the Gooding & Company auction block in Monterey. Carefully maintained and rarely driven, the car was in pristine and original condition down to its date coded Goodyear Eagle F1 tires and came complete with its original FACOM tool chest, fitted luggage, titanium tool kit, official ‘Driving Ambition’ book, and special TAG Heuer watch.
This 1995 model was the 25th road car built and the only one finished in a stunning one-off color, named Creighton Brown, after one of the executives who was instrumental in establishing the fledgling McLaren Cars company. This distinctive exterior is complemented by a Light Tan and Dark Brown leather upholstery inside the three-seater cockpit.
Just 106 of the iconic three-seater, V-12-engined F1 road cars were produced between 1992 and 1998, with just 64 being completed to original road car specification. To this day it remains the fastest naturally aspirated production car with a top speed of 240 mph – helping to cement its status as one of the most desirable of all collector cars.
“We were incredibly proud to present this exceptional McLaren F1, and tonight, the market confirmed the sheer prowess of this unparalleled supercar from one of the most legendary names in motoring,” said Gooding & Company President and Founder, David Gooding. “This sale was a historic moment not only for Gooding & Company, but for the McLaren legacy and the entire industry as a whole.”
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About McLaren Automotive:
McLaren Automotive is a creator of luxury, high-performance supercars.
Every vehicle is hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in Woking, Surrey, England.
Launched in 2010, the company is now the largest part of the McLaren Group.
The company’s product portfolio of GT, supercar, Motorsport and Ultimate models are retailed through over 85 retailers in 40 markets around the world.
McLaren is a pioneer that continuously pushes the boundaries. In 1981, it introduced lightweight and strong carbon fibre chassis into Formula 1 with the McLaren MP4/1.
Then in 1993 it designed and built the McLaren F1 road car – the company has not built a car without a carbon fibre chassis since. As part of the Ultimate Series, McLaren was the first to deliver a hybrid hypercar, the McLaren P1™. In 2016, it announced a new hybrid hyper-GT and confirmed in 2018 that the next Ultimate car would be the Speedtail.
2019 saw McLaren launch the 600LT Spider, the new GT and the track-only McLaren Senna GTR. It also unveiled the 620R and McLaren Elva before launching the 765LT the following year.
Most recently, the company unveiled its all-new high-performance hybrid supercar, the McLaren Artura.
The Artura is the first McLaren to benefit from the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA). The MCLA is designed, developed and manufactured at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre in the Sheffield region of England using world-first processes and will spearhead the brand’s electrified future.
McLaren Automotive also chooses to partner with like-minded, world-leading companies and organisations who push the boundaries in their respective fields. These include AkzoNobel, Ashurst, Dell Technologies, Gulf, Pirelli, Richard Mille, Plan International and Tumi.
McLaren Group:
The McLaren Group is a global leader in luxury automotive and technology and comprises three businesses: Automotive, Racing and Applied.
About Gooding & Company:
Gooding & Company is celebrated for its world-class automotive auctions, private brokerage, and unparalleled service in the international collector car market, achieving over $2 billion in sales since the company’s inception. The auction house continues to deliver market-leading results, while setting new trends and selling best-of-category cars across numerous collector car verticals. Gooding & Company consistently presents the highest quality consignments while operating with openness and integrity, which have earned the company a reputation of trust and respect unmatched in the industry. Offering a wide range of services including private and estate sales, appraisals and collection management, the auction house is ready to assist you with numerous collector car services.