It’s not every day that a McLaren F1 comes up for sale, given just 64 road-going versions were made, and not all have survived across the past three decades.
That nearly happened to this example – chassis 009, built in 1994 – which was reported by Wheels to have been crashed by a BMW Sydney mechanic in 1997, causing it to undergo extensive repairs. This included a respray from its original Magnesium Silver paintwork to a slightly darker hue.
Understood to be the only McLaren F1 in Australia, it has now been listed by JamesEdition. Though the listing shows the price is only available upon request, older screenshots circulated on social media reveal a $37 million price tag.
If it does indeed sell for that figure, it would be the most expensive McLaren F1 sale on record. The current known record holder is chassis 029, which sold for US$20.465 million at a US auction in 2021.
While the listing doesn’t show its current mileage, chassis 009 has a special background, having participated in the 20th Anniversary of the McLaren F1 Tour in Lake Garda, Italy, in 2012.
In 2024, it won the Noosa Concours d’Elegance’s People’s Choice Award as well as the Next Gen Award.
As with all McLaren F1s, its central driver’s seat is flanked by two passenger seats, a hallmark of Gordon Murray’s designs, which later inspired his GMA T.50 supercar.
Behind the driver sits BMW’s bespoke 6.1-litre V12 engine, producing 461kW and 650Nm which is fed to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.
When new, the McLaren F1’s top speed of 386km/h made it the fastest production car in the world, and it’s still the quickest car to do so with a naturally aspirated engine.
It’s been a year of renewed interest in the F1, which is celebrating 30 years since its win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
McLaren unveiled a special-edition 750S earlier this year, complete with a choice of Le Mans Grey or McLaren’s iconic orange and carbon black exterior paint finishes.
Earlier this month, Lanzante – the firm which lent the Le Mans-winning F1 GTR to a Japanese team – revealed a three-seat supercar called the 59-95, referencing the number of its 1995 winner.
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