Saturday 30th April 2016

McLaren F1: You Know You Want To

2,800 miles on the clock, McLaren Special Operations maintained ... of course you want to!

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What to say about a McLaren F1 for sale by McLaren Special Operations with just 2,800 miles on the clock and the kind of matching numbers provenance that'd have dark stains appearing on Pebble Beach chinos faster than you can say 'price on application'?

'Yes please' would probably do for starters; just steel yourself before asking 'how much?' Our contact at MSO wasn't putting a number on it but did offer some pointers for what this car - chassis #069 - might make. "Values of F1s are very much dependent on the heritage, mileage and condition of the individual chassis concerned," says our man. "We would expect the value to be in-line with the higher price bracket of models sold in recent months, or possibly higher given the concours condition and extremely low mileage."

The current high water mark is the $13,750,000 paid last autumn at RM Sotheby's Pebble Beach sale for chassis #073. Built the same year as the car now on sale, #073 was converted by MSO into LM spec with the goal of creating "the finest and most desirable F1 on the planet", according to RM's publicity material.

All very well but might the fact #069 is completely original and hasn't been retrospectively updated make it even more desirable? That'll be down to the market. For MSO's part this would appear to be as close to a factory F1 as you could buy, the car kept and maintained in-house and now offered for sale on behalf of its owner.

"McLaren F1 chassis #069 is UK registered with all UK taxes paid and offered for sale exclusively through McLaren Special Operations Heritage division with fitted luggage, complete Facom titanium lightweight tool kit and Facom tool box, all books and literature, including the correct numbered LM Edition of the 'Driving Ambition' McLaren F1 book and limited edition McLaren F1 owner's watch," says the accompanying press release. Like you needed any further motivation to enter the Euromillions...

To MSO's credit it has done the decent thing, got the car out of hiding and taken it out for the stunning pictures you see here. A reminder, were it needed, why the F1 is still in a league of its own.

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MCLAREN F1 CHASSIS #069
Price: If you have to ask...
Why you should: As close to buying a new McLaren F1 as is possible
Why you shouldn't: You'll be in a bunfight with some very, very wealthy rival bidders

[73RS]

I don't buy all the F1 hype. They built very few - if you take out the ones crashed and used for racing, it leaves a tiny number - then it turns out that most, like this one, have hardly ever been driven. Legendary? Irrelevant!

[73RS]

smilo996 said:

73RS said:

I don't buy all the F1 hype. They built very few - if you take out the ones crashed and used for racing, it leaves a tiny number - then it turns out that most, like this one, have hardly ever been driven. Legendary? Irrelevant!

Well that is a pretty amazing comment. Completely missed the point of the F1 and your comment is really only relevant when considering the price because there are not that many.


Never get tired or articles about the F1.

Smaller, lower cd value, more luggage space, more passengers than the P1. 240mph from a normally aspirated engine and the beautiful result of the work of several very talented people. That is even before considering the Le Mans success in 1995.

Still completely relevant today and in good company compared to the current crop of Super / Hyper cars.

Trouble is "the point" of any car is ultimately to make money for the manufacturer. The F1 lost money.