This 1994 McLaren F1 Could Fetch $21 Million at Auction

A rare McLaren F1 with impeccable provenance is heading to auction, and could fetch more than $21 million.

The 1994 McLaren F1 was delivered new to the royal family of Brunei, who owned the car before it made its way back to the United Kingdom, where its next owner was a former McLaren executive. Later, it moved to New York and was serviced in New Jersey, “acquired by a repeat F1 owner,” according to RM Sotheby’s listing. After three years there, it moved to California.

In 2006, the car was sold again, and, in 2007, it was sent to McLaren headquarters in Woking for a total rebuild, where it was also painted white, instead of the original yellow. A new downforce kit was fitted then too, including the rear spoiler, which was installed instead of an active rear wing. The air-conditioning system, exhaust, center seat, wheels, and headlights were all updated then as well, at a cost of over half a million dollars.

That new paint also eliminated the signature of Michael Schumacher, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion, but, instead, the car now bears Lewis Hamilton’s signature. Hamilton signed the luggage compartment in 2007 when he was still an F1 rookie. Some $50,000 in additional work was done to the car in 2018, including an engine-out service; the car has 13,711 miles on the odometer.

McLaren F1s, including this one, were powered by a BMW-sourced, naturally aspirated, 6.0-liter V-12 engine making 627 horsepower, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. The F1 famously won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995, a few years after production began. Reception to the car, at the time, was absolutely ecstatic, and, if anything, it has only grown in reputation since, celebrated for its looks, designer (Gordon Murray), top speed (around 243 mph, depending on how you count it), and, above all, its driving dynamics. The McLaren F1 was built to be better to drive than a Honda NSX, which Murray owned at the time. It succeeded beyond all reasonable expectations and underpins McLaren’s road-going car reputation to this day.

This example will be sold in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on December 5.

Click here for more photos of the 1994 McLaren F1.

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