With simply 6,500 miles on the clock, some of the traditionally vital McLaren F1s ever delivered to the USA is heading to public sale. Chassis 062—a 1997 McLaren F1 initially offered to Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison—is being supplied by RM Sotheby’s throughout Monterey Automotive Week in August. It’s one in every of solely seven F1s that have been formally delivered to the U.S. when new by means of 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 by means of two extra homeowners—all non-public people, all based mostly in California. The automotive’s location by no means modified, and neither did its situation. It nonetheless wears its unique 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 automotive for years—391 km/h (243 mph)—and nonetheless stands because the quickest naturally aspirated automotive ever constructed. There aren’t any turbos, no hybrid tips, 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 will be tough. Some are storage queens with questionable upkeep, others are over-serviced and over-modified. Chassis 062 strikes the precise steadiness. It’s been frivolously pushed however correctly maintained. The automotive went by means 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 executed 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, Useful Updates
By means of McLaren Particular Operations, the automotive acquired a couple of helpful upgrades that don’t mess with the unique character:
- Higher air con
- Sports activities exhaust
- Upgraded radiators
- Aluminum gas tank
These modifications make the automotive 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 have been repainted, transformed, federalized, or raced. Chassis 062’s story is straightforward. It was delivered to a high-profile tech govt, stored in California, and pushed sparingly. That consistency counts. It hasn’t been exported, repainted, or reimagined. It’s the type of automotive that collectors are likely to chase—full, unique, 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 elements are there: U.S.-delivery, low mileage, clear historical past, and unique 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.
