McLaren F1 sets New Sales Record

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LONDON, England (October 29, 2008) – RM Auctions, in association with Sotheby’s, entered the history books again tonight selling a superb McLaren F1 supercar for £2,530,000 at the highly anticipated Automobiles of London event.

Marking the first time the car has been offered since sold new by McLaren, tonight’s sale of one of the world’s fastest road cars and McLaren’s former Park Lane showroom model attracted spirited bidding. The final sales price more than doubled the pre-sale estimate.

“The world record breaking price for the McLaren F1 is a huge achievement for our London auction and confirms RM’s position as the world’s leading auction house for vintage automobiles,” said Max Girardo, Managing Director of RM Auctions European Division.

“The £2.5 million sale price redefined the market for these superb vehicles. The McLaren F1 is quite simply one of the most contemporary cars ever produced and tops a sale that has again shown that great cars attract great prices. We are now looking forward to building on tonight’s results at our next European event in Maranello, Italy on May 17, 2009,” he added.

It was standing room only at the seven-hour sale as 100 of the world’s finest vintage motor cars went under the hammer before an international audience. A series of intense bidding contests developed throughout the evening, which in addition to the record-breaking McLaren sale, saw a 1965 Ferrari 250 LM Berlinetta and the 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France each fetch £2,255,000 indicating the continued strength of the sports and racing segment of the market. Other notable highlights included an ultra-rare 1938 Horch 853 Special Roadster which sold for £1,127,500 and a stunning 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante which brought £660,000.

In addition to the vintage motor cars, the event presented eleven creative customs by UK artist, Andy Saunders, who has been billed as the Damien Hirst of the car world. Described as ‘drivable art’ in its truest sense, highlights of this unique offering included: the remarkable 1958 Ford X-2000 Recreation for £41,250 and the incredible 1983 Bentley ‘Mentley Insanne’ for £18,700.

RM Auctions’ will return to Europe in May for the highly anticipated Ferrari Leggenda e Passione event at the legendary Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy.

Full sales results will be posted on RM AUCTIONS.
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For those interested, that's around $4 million, twice the price of what a new one was worth back in the 90's. This is the last F1 to leave the showroom, and has the lowest miles to date.
 
Not that the car isn't amazing, but I don't think I'd pay that much for anything. Although if I can borrow the keys for $20, I'd be happy.
 
There are some very rich people out there to whom $4 million really isn't that much. And I'd certainly rather have a McLaren F1 than some other things you can probably buy for that much.
 
Philly
There are some very rich people out there to whom $4 million really isn't that much. And I'd certainly rather have a McLaren F1 than some other things you can probably buy for that much.
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Yeah, just like that person who bought a number plate for $12 million....... But really, it was interesting to know that there are still a few McLaren F1's that are for sale even after all these years....... 👍
 
Muzaffar Musa
Yeah, just like that person who bought a number plate for $12 million....... But really, it was interesting to know that there are still a few McLaren F1's that are for sale even after all these years....... 👍
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Well, this one isn't new. None of them are. They just change owners every few years.
 
With just 500 miles or less on the clock, it's newer than some of the cars that leave dealerships.

I'd have paid 2 million pounds for it. :lol:
 
So the "World Record" bit is only a world record price for the sale of a McLaren F1? Not much of a "world" record.
 
Rotary Junkie
Nah it's a record for the sale of ANY automobile.
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You might want to check that out.

Ferrari 250 GTO = £15.7 million
Numerous others including Bugatti Royales and GT Californias
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McLaren F1 = £2.5 million
 
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buickgnx88
Perhaps the highest paid for a McLaren F1? Not sure what other records there would be...
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Yes, thats the record its trying to make out, daan was just pointing out its not really an amazing record, lol, you could have paid the highest price for a Lada ever and it would be just as impressive.
 
You know, I think the F1 would be able to perform much better with a modern set of performance tires. Like the Michelin Pilot Sport 2s that every other supercar wears now. I bet it would still be competitive on a race track.
 
Here's my thing on the McLaren F1... I think the McLaren F1 is the greatest car ever. That's even if this car is more than ten years old. People have regarded the Enzo Ferrari. Some are F40 fans. Some are even into the Veyron. But come on... you just can't top the McLaren F1 for what it was. It was a car that could go super fast as well as handle pretty well. It's a car that won Le Mans outright in 1995. It's a British car with a German heart. This car is truly amazing. Not at all surprised this car would draw this much money in an auction. And maybe I'm being too kind to it, but this was one of the best cars I've ever seen even when I was getting accustomed to growing up as a car fan. I still have the December 1997 edition of Road and Track Magazine featuring this car.

The McLaren F1 was worth every penny when it was sold, and it's worth every penny on the auction block for when this car was rung up for seven figures. Can't say I'm surprised.
 
Keef
You know, I think the F1 would be able to perform much better with a modern set of performance tires. Like the Michelin Pilot Sport 2s that every other supercar wears now. I bet it would still be competitive on a race track.
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It is.

Evo magazine, maybe two years ago. They set the McLaren F1 to the West Circuit against an Enzo and a Carrera GT. Wore the same tires as the Enzo. Despite the fact that the car wasn't in great condition... in the words of the owner: "The chassis stinks, there’s no downforce and the brakes are terrible"... it lapped a tenth faster than the Enzo, with the exact same tire model and size. The Carrera GT went faster, though... but maybe better brakes and a rear anti-roll bar would fix that.

Of course, with nearly 40,000 miles on the clock and a sports exhaust, that particular McLaren was theoretically making around 680 hp, but with a track like that, handling matters quite a lot more than raw power. The ultra-lights lapped faster than everything else there (though the Carrera came close).
 
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niky
in the words of the owner: "The chassis stinks, there’s no downforce and the brakes are terrible"...
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That's not a statement of how the car has aged, but how the it compares to modern supercars. The chassis actually has some flex in it by design, there's little downforce due to Peter Steven's design, and the brakes are a very old design. That's just how the car was at the time.
 

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