An extraordinary 1995 McLaren F1 that displays less than 400 kilometers on the odometer will cross the auction block at the upcoming Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auction.
Gooding & Company has just announced the lone McLaren F1 for the upcoming 17th annual Pebble Beach Auctions to be held on August 13-14, 2021.
The supercar is just one of the many premier offerings that Gooding & Company will be showcasing during their spectacular two-day sale.
“The McLaren F1 is widely regarded as the most important automobile built in the past four decades. It is a tour de force of automotive engineering with an unmatched competition pedigree, including an overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”
Gooding & Company’s Senior Specialist, David Brynan
Celebrated designer Gordon Murray envisioned the McLaren F1 as the ultimate road car – a true Formula 1 car designed for the road. In 1998, the heads of McLaren’s dominant Formula 1 team, Ron Dennis, Creighton Brown, and Mansour Ojjeh, green-lighted the production of Murray’s unique three-seat, center-drive sports car concept into production.
The innovative team spearheaded the production of the extremely rare design feature that boasts a center seat with passenger seats placed on either side of the driver. The F1 showcased the team’s expert engineering and exemplary attention to detail and opened an exciting new chapter for the company in the production of road cars.
The F1 was first unveiled in 1992, where it was instantly praised as a mechanical masterpiece. The concept of the McLaren supercar was not only novel, but also each F1 was hand-built to precise standards, using the most state-of-the-art materials like carbon fiber, titanium, Kevlar, and gold.
Upholding Murray’s unbending design ethos, Peter Stevens utilized Grand Prix technology to pen the elegant bodywork of the F1, including ground effects, to generate downforce.
It is powered by the beautifully designed, naturally aspirated BMW Motorsport six-liter V12 engine that can produce 100hp per liter with an impressive howl as it is revved up to its 7,500 rpm redline.
The F1 also features the innovative carbon fiber monocoque chassis, six-speed manual transaxle, bespoke high-speed tires, and unassisted Brembo brakes.
Despite being designed to be a pure driver’s car, the F1 also ensured comfortable road use in its design with a clever air-conditioning system and a lightweight audio system that was specifically designed by Kenwood.
From 1992 to 1998, only 106 examples of the McLaren F1 were produced. To this day, the F1 is still the fastest naturally aspirated production car with a top speed of 240mph, solid proof regarding the quality of engineering and design of the F1.
Although the F1 was not designed to be a racing car, the competition-specification F1 GTR dominated motorsport in the 90s. The original GTRs, a slightly modified version of the road-going F1 finished an impressive 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 13th at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995.
In 1995 and 1996, McLaren was able to obtain the BPR Global GT Series Championship with the F1 GTR.
When new, the McLaren F1 is one of the most expensive production cars, and now, it is one of the most desirable collector cars. It embodies the peak of modern sports car design, and it raised the bar for all other supercars.
1995 McLaren F1, Chassis 029
Estimate: Greater than $15,000,000
This F1, chassis 029, has seldom been viewed in public as it spent most of its life in the care of a private Japanese collection. In Japan, it was rarely driven and meticulously maintained, as seen in its present, exquisite condition. Its current US-based owner also kept the car in its as-delivered state.
This McLaren F1 has been driven remarkably only 390 kilometers from new and is still in its pristine, original condition even to its date-coded Goodyear Eagle F1 tires making it the finest and best-preserved example in existence.
The example is additionally unique due to its one-off color scheme which perfectly matches the low-key exterior design.
Factory records show that chassis 029 was the 25th road car produced and is the only F1 finished in Creighton Brown, a unique color whose namesake was the executive who was key in establishing the McLaren Cars company. The distinguishing livery is well matched by the Light Tan and Dark Brown leather upholstery within the three-seater cockpit.
Chassis 029 will be offered with the McLaren service book, FACOM tool chest, owner’s manual, fitted luggage, titanium tool kit, TAG Heuer watch, and the official Driving Ambition book.
[Source: Gooding & Company and photographer Mike Maez]
