With simply 6,500 miles on the clock, probably the most traditionally important McLaren F1s ever delivered to the US is heading to public sale. Chassis 062—a 1997 McLaren F1 initially offered to Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison—is being provided by RM Sotheby’s throughout Monterey Automobile Week in August. It’s one in all solely seven F1s that had been formally dropped at the U.S. when new by way of Ameritech, and one in all simply three initially designated for U.S. roads from the manufacturing unit.
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 by way of two extra house owners—all personal people, all primarily based 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 unit.
BMW Energy, McLaren Engineering
On the coronary heart of the F1 is the naturally aspirated 6.1-liter BMW V12 designed by Paul Rosche. Referred to as the S70/2, it produces 627 horsepower and revs to over 7,500 rpm. The F1 held the file for the quickest manufacturing automobile for years—391 km/h (243 mph)—and nonetheless stands because the quickest naturally aspirated automobile ever constructed. There are not 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 stability. It’s been calmly pushed however correctly maintained. The automobile went by way of 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 carried out by licensed McLaren F1 technicians. All of the documentation is there, courting again to the unique bill. It even comes with the factory-issued toolkit, books, baggage, and McLaren-branded detailing package.
Tasteful, Purposeful Updates
By McLaren Particular Operations, the automobile acquired just a few helpful upgrades that don’t mess with the unique character:
- Higher air con
- Sports activities exhaust
- Upgraded radiators
- Aluminum gasoline tank
These adjustments 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 straightforward. It was delivered to a high-profile tech government, stored in California, and pushed sparingly. That consistency counts. It hasn’t been exported, repainted, or reimagined. It’s the sort of automobile that collectors are likely to chase—full, authentic, and effectively 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 components 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 sort of itemizing that hardly ever comes round—and when it does, it tends to make headlines.
