Here’s Your Chance To Buy The Ultimate McLaren F1
We recently wrote a story about Elon Musk and his expensive romance with a McLaren F1. While writing it and undressing the car with my eyes as I inserted the photos into the piece, I fell in love with the car all over again. So it’s only natural that I’d go completely mad when this popped up on RM Sotheby’s.
While the price is unspecified, I’m going to have to say goodbye to this dream as the last time an F1 donned a for sale sticker, it went for £13.7 million. This one is more than likely going to be even more than that, as it is possibly the nicest spec ever available from the factory.
It began life in a suit of AMG green for a high profile customer. But before long, Chassis 073 was given back to a group in McLaren – a group now known as MSO (McLaren Special Operations). Their mission was to produce the most desirable F1 on the planet, so they went about fitting the same engine from their GTR racing cars which allowed it to reach 680bhp at 7,800rpm. You can thank an increased compression ratio, upgraded cams, pistons and sensors for that. A special car indeed, especially when you know that only one other road-going car was fitted with the ultimate power unit.
It’s not a complete rip-off though as it not only comes with an upgraded exhaust, but the original comes along for the ride, too. It also comes equipped with their ‘Extra High Downforce Package’, and extra cooling to keep the powerful engine at bay. As you can tell, that means a few more vents were sprinkled over the body.
It was painted in a gorgeous orange, but that’s not where the modifications stop. The interior was refined with the steering wheel, handbrake and instrument cluster from the GTR, too, and swamped with leather and Alcantara of the highest quality. But, the cherry on the cake and possibly the main reason as to why I’m incredibly jealous of the future owner… It’s been signed by Gordon Murray himself.
What a car.
