1995 McLaren F1 for sale at Bonhams auction
There won’t be enough time for everyone here at Motor Authority to collectively scrape change, empty piggy banks, and check couch cushions. But, boy, do we wish we had all the couches, piggy banks, and change cups to buy this. By “this,” we mean the very first street-legal McLaren F1 sold in the United States.
To start, there were only 106 McLaren F1s produced. That alone makes the car extraordinarily rare, and owners hardly let go of theirs. Secondly, of the 106 cars, only 64 are street-legal examples. Last, and most importantly, this McLaren F1 is just one of seven federalized by Ameritech for road use in the United States.
In order to make the F1 roadworthy in the U.S., Ameritech used removable bumpers with those pesky fender reflectors. After that, they were free to be sold and driven legally. As you can imagine, owners immediately removed them, but it was certified, legal, and it didn’t matter.
This particular F1 is car No. 44 of the 106 F1s produced, and was the 37th car to roll off the assembly line, according to Bonhams, which will oversee the auction. It registers only 9,600 miles on the odometer and is completely original.
If a refresher is needed, the McLaren F1 made waves in the 1990s with its BMW-sourced 6.1-liter V-12 engine, which produces 627 horsepower, and is connected to a 6-speed manual transmission. Zero to 60 mph happens in 3.2 seconds and it will clock 242 mph with ease. By today’s standards, that’s still downright impressive, and the F1 accomplished its performance achievements at a time when a typical Chevrolet Corvette was producing 300 hp.
How much will such a prized car fetch? Try eight figures. McLaren F1s consistently sell around the $10 million mark—one sold for $13.75 million—and this coveted, street-legal example should have no issues reaching the same value.
