With simply 6,500 miles on the clock, probably the most traditionally vital McLaren F1s ever delivered to the US is heading to public sale. Chassis 062—a 1997 McLaren F1 initially bought to Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison—is being provided by RM Sotheby’s throughout Monterey Automotive Week in August. It’s one in every of solely seven F1s that had been formally dropped at the U.S. when new via Ameritech, and one in every of simply three initially designated for U.S. roads from the manufacturing facility.
A Quiet Life in California
This McLaren F1 hasn’t spent its life bouncing between collectors or hiding in a European vault. It’s stayed native. After Ellison took supply in 1997, it remained within the San Francisco Bay Space via two extra house owners—all non-public people, all based mostly in California. The automobile’s location by no means modified, and neither did its situation. It nonetheless wears its authentic Magnesium Silver paint and has by no means been repainted or retrimmed. The black leather-based inside, with a grey driver’s seat insert, stays because it left the manufacturing facility.
BMW Energy, McLaren Engineering
On the coronary heart of the F1 is the naturally aspirated 6.1-liter BMW V12 designed by Paul Rosche. Generally known as the S70/2, it produces 627 horsepower and revs to over 7,500 rpm. The F1 held the report for the quickest manufacturing automobile for years—391 km/h (243 mph)—and nonetheless stands because the quickest naturally aspirated automobile ever constructed. There aren’t any turbos, no hybrid methods, and no gimmicks—simply uncooked engineering from an period when efficiency was earned, not downloaded.
Service Historical past That Truly Means One thing
Low mileage vehicles could be tough. Some are storage queens with questionable upkeep, others are over-serviced and over-modified. Chassis 062 strikes the proper steadiness. It’s been evenly pushed however correctly maintained. The automobile went via a full service in 2024 at McLaren Philadelphia, together with:
- A transmission rebuild
- New tires
- A refresh of the gold-foil warmth shielding within the engine bay
The work was finished by licensed McLaren F1 technicians. All of the documentation is there, relationship again to the unique bill. It even comes with the factory-issued toolkit, books, baggage, and McLaren-branded detailing package.
Tasteful, Useful Updates
By means of McLaren Particular Operations, the automobile acquired a number of helpful upgrades that don’t mess with the unique character:
- Higher air-con
- Sports activities exhaust
- Upgraded radiators
- Aluminum gasoline tank
These modifications make the automobile extra usable with out compromising its originality. The unique magnesium wheels are nonetheless included, plus a second set completed in matte black.
Estimate: $23 Million and Up
Most McLaren F1s have tales. Some had been repainted, transformed, federalized, or raced. Chassis 062’s story is easy. It was delivered to a high-profile tech government, saved in California, and pushed sparingly. That consistency counts. It hasn’t been exported, repainted, or reimagined. It’s the type of automobile that collectors are inclined to chase—full, authentic, and nicely documented.
RM Sotheby’s expects chassis 062 to promote for over $23 million. Whether or not it hits that quantity stays to be seen, however the substances are there: U.S.-delivery, low mileage, clear historical past, and authentic situation. The public sale closes on Saturday, August 16.
For anybody following the McLaren F1 market, that is the type of itemizing that hardly ever comes round—and when it does, it tends to make headlines.
