1 Of 7 McLaren F1s Imported To US Will Be Auctioned In August

This McLaren F1, one of only seven ever imported into the United States when new, could make history next month as the most valuable example of the breed ever to be sold at auction. Chassis 062 is among the headliners for RM Sotheby’s upcoming event in Monterey on August 16, and according to official auction house estimates, this McLaren could sell for upwards of $23 million.

To put that titanic figure into perspective, you could buy 10 McLaren’s limited edition Speedtails or this McLaren Solus GT and still have some cash left over. Moreover, should that estimate be realized, it would smash the previous record for a McLaren F1 at auction – $20,465,000 – by more than $2.5 million USD.

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The aforementioned $20.4 million figure was recorded when this Creighton Brown example, built in 1995 and with only 242 miles on the clock, went under the hammer with Gooding & Company back in 2021. Remarkably, this figure was already $660,000 more than the $19,805,000 spent on this one-of-two, Le Mans-tribute F1 LM in 2019, also with RM Sotheby’s.

Moreover, a $23 million winning bid could potentially make chassis 062 among the top 15 most valuable cars ever sold at auction. This would beat the $22.5 million USD price for this 1956 Aston Marton DBR1 Roadster (sold with RM Sotheby’s in 2017), the $22.05 million for this 1956 Ferrari 290 MM (RM, 2018) and this 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider (RM, 2022), and the $21.78 million for a 1955 Jaguar D-Type (RN, 2016). Granted, there’s still some way to go to match this 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR ‘Uhlenhaut Coupe,’ which sold for – brace yourselves – $142 milllion in 2022.

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6,500 Miles On The Clock, Pristine Service Record

Chassis 062 was, rather strangely, the 53rd example of Gordon Murray’s masterpiece to be built in 1997. Finished in Magnesium Silver, it’s had just three owners since then – all of them, coincidentally, based in San Francisco’s Bay Area – and was one of only seven F1’s officially imported to the US. Of course, the F1 was never officially sold here. But federal laws mandating modifications to the engine, exhaust, and fuel systems to meet domestic emissions standards allowed some to sneak through. It’s believed though that this invasive work was only completed and checked on the first model imported. That means Chassis 062 featured here may have stayed largely untouched since it left Woking.

Having said that, and despite there being only 6,500 miles on the clock, 062 was sent to McLaren Special Operations for a full service, new radiators and upgrades to the air conditioning before taking part in the 20th F1 Anniversary Tour in 2012. Further upgrades from MSO include a new aluminum fuel tank and a sports exhaust. Plus, while the model sits on its original magnesium wheels, a bespoke set of matte black alloys are included.

Source: RM Sotheby’s