It’s easy to understand the combination of groundbreaking automotive design and peak performance that’s led numerous car enthusiasts, Jay Leno among them, to embrace the supercars made by McLaren — and that doesn’t just apply to new models. This year at Monterey Car Week, RM Sotheby’s will be conducting auctions for a trio of covetable McLaren models that span decades’ worth of the British automaker’s history.
The most prominent of the three McLarens will be on display at Monterey Car Week, which will take place this year from August 8 to 17, but its auction will be a little different than the others. The sale of a 1997 McLaren F1 will be conducted by RM Sotheby’s Sealed system of anonymous online bids. The auction house notes that cryptocurrency will be accepted. If that reads to you like something tech magnates might be interested in, you’re indeed sensing a theme — this particular car was once owned by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
This McLaren F1, known as the “Silicon F1” due to its ties to the tech world, has 6,500 miles on its odometer and has had a total of three owners. In 2023 and 2024, McLaren Philadelphia serviced the car, with repairs including an upgraded fuel system, a rebuilt transmission and new tires.
“The Silicon F1 has been carefully preserved by passionate owners in the heart of Silicon Valley since day one. The car has always lived at home, among the very people who recognized how ahead of its time it really was,” said Shelby Myers, RM Sotheby’s global head of private sales, in a statement. “With its analog driving experience and extremely powerful powertrain, the McLaren F1 remains the fastest of its kind and, for many, the most important supercar ever built.”
As for what you can expect to pay for it, RM Sotheby’s estimates that it’ll sell for at least $23 million. Bidding is set to begin on August 13 and close on August 16.
Jay Leno Said He’d Never Buy Another Supercar. Then Came the McLaren W1.
The legendary host and gearhead takes us through his ongoing love affair with the British automaker, including one particularly high-powered car: “It always scares me to death — and I enjoy it”If you’re in the market for a McLaren and looking to spend a little less than that, two other supercars being sold at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction on August 15 and 16 may be of interest.
The first is a 2020 McLaren Speedtail, estimated to sell for between $1.5 million and $2 million, which is one of 106 made. (Specifically, it’s number 85 in the series.) Its V8 engine supplies 723 horsepower, with another 312 horsepower coming from the Speedtail’s electric motor. This particular model also has almost $250,000 in “exclusive extras,” including a roof scoop, as well as trim and upholstery options. The listing notes that it’s only traveled a total of 71 miles — though it also points out that this is being sold under a “show or display” exemption, which places limits on how much it can be driven on public roads in a year.
The third McLaren takes a more racing-forward approach: a 2019 McLaren Senna, estimated to sell for between $1.1 million and $1.3 million. This one is also part of a small cohort: it’s the 197th of its kind made out of a total of 500. And it’s built for speed, capable of going from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds.
The McLaren Senna has traveled less than 1,000 miles total in its six years out of the factory, and it was serviced earlier this summer at McLaren Newport Beach.
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