To be offered by RM Sotheby’s, this 1997 McLaren F1 comes with extraordinary provenance and a remarkably low 6,471 miles on the clock. Originally delivered new to Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison in Magnesium Silver with a black leather interior, it’s one of just seven Ameritech-modified F1s made road legal in the U.S., and among the rare few to remain in California since new.
Ellison retained the car for over a decade, logging under 2,600 miles before selling it to another Bay Area collector. It changed hands again in 2010, yet stayed in the region throughout—all three owners based in Silicon Valley.
The McLaren F1, designed by Gordon Murray and styled by Peter Stevens, broke ground in 1992 with its carbon-fiber monocoque, central seating, BMW-built 6.1L V12 producing 627 bhp, and obsessive engineering—no ABS, no traction control, just raw analog purity. It hit 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and topped out at 240 mph.
The car has received numerous McLaren Special Operations (MSO) upgrades over time, including improved air conditioning, upgraded radiators, aluminium fuel tanks, a sports exhaust, and meticulous factory servicing, most recently by McLaren Philadelphia in 2023 and 2024. Accompanied by an extensive history file, original accessories, and a clean cosmetic and mechanical report by a factory-authorized technician, this F1 remains in excellent condition.
Source: RM Sotheby’s
