McLaren duo to fetch $20 million

By: Mark Higgins, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 14.08.2017

McLaren F1

McLaren F1

Ultra-rare supercars on the block

Rare and exotic cars from around the world have descended on Pebble Beach-California for the annual auctions, and among the mouth-watering offerings are a pair of McLarens that could collectively achieve Au$20 million.

First up from Bonhams Auctions is the original McLaren F1, with its unique three-seat configuration that is seen by many as the ultimate road car.

This example is chassis #044, built in 1995 and was the very first of only a handful of F1s that made it to the US and is being offered for sale by its original owner. It comes with documentation and service history from new.

Based on a pledge by four men to create the most remarkable sportscar to ever grace public roads, the McLaren F1 was described by Car & Driver magazine as "The fastest and most accelerative production car the worlds has ever seen."

Boasting a staggering array of no-compromises engineering, and an obsessively tailored vision for extreme performance and outright speed, the McLaren F1, designed by Gordon Murray, made no apologies for its audacious road presence and take-no-prisoners performance.

It was the world’s first carbon fibre reinforced monocoque production car and featured gold insulating foil scattered through the engine bay for heat containment.

Twin Kevlar fans helped create downforce and this no expense spared super car, of which only 64 were ever made, set a world record top speed of 243mph (391km/h).

World defining supercars with exquisite its levels of expertise, craftsmanship, performance and provenance rarely come up for sale. That it is a one owner car, with no accident damage makes it the rarest of all.

Estimate:
£10 million-plus (Au$16.5 million)

- See video of the McLaren F1

| Interview: McLaren Chief Designer, Robert Melville

Another rare bird bearing the name McLaren is the 903-horsepower twin-turbo hybrid engine P1 being offered by Mecum Auctions.

One of only 375 produced it is as big a game-changer as the original McLaren F1 from the 90s.

What is basically a road-legal race car, the P1 boasts contemporary F1 technologies like instant power assist - a development of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and drag reduction systems, a seven-speed dual-clutch auto a Kevlar and carbon fibre monocage, weighing 180 pounds, and carbon fibre body.

At the time of its launch, McLaren claimed the P1 to be "the most exciting, capable, technologically advanced and dynamically accomplished super sports car ever made".

Given that the P1 incorporates many contemporary Formula 1 technologies it’s hard to argue against that. The list includes IPAS (Instant Power Assist System), a DRS (Drag Reduction System), which adjusts the rear spoiler to maximize straight-line speed, carbon ceramic brakes, a mid-mounted twin turbocharged 3.8lt/542kW (727hp) DOHC 32-valve V-8 drives a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, which contains a permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor adding 127kW (177hp) for a total output of 673kW (903hp) and more than 700ft-lb of torque. Top speed is 350km/h,

This example is finished in Supernova Silver, is number 291 and has been driven fewer than 1000 miles since new.

Estimate:
USD$2.2-$2.5 million (Au$2.8-$3.1 million)

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