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Are you brave enough to run-in this factory fresh McLaren F1?

For years this McLaren F1 has remained tucked away in Japan, fastidiously maintained by rarely driven. Now with less than 390 km on the clock, it’s going under the hammer. Do you have the wallet, or the stomach, to run in that BMW V12?

With just 106 road cars ever made, whenever a McLaren F1 goes up for auction it’s worth taking note. However, it’s not just about rarity; the McLaren F1 represented a paradigm shift in the automotive industry, redefining what was possible for a road car and claiming the title of fastest production car for the best part of 15 years. As a result, the highest bidder tends to hand over a decent chunk of change for the keys to Gordon Murray’s masterpiece. Who could forget the time Rowan Atkinson’s F1 sold for £8 million back in 2015, after losing two games of chicken in the car; first with a tree, then with the rear of a Range Rover.  

Chassis 029 should fetch a fair bit more when it goes up for auction with Gooding & Company at Pebble Beach this August 14th. After all, not only has it never seen a crash, it has barely seen an open road and has covered just over 1/3 of the distance usually needed to run in the engines of such exotic metal. As is expected of a car with this mileage, the words ‘pristine’ and ‘original’ make frequent appearances. Chassis 029 still retains the original date-coded Goodyear Eagle F1 Tyres, which we’d recommend swapping out if you did want to break the seal on this box-fresh F1, unless you fancy your Atkinson impression. Elsewhere, the original Creighton Brown paint and Light Tan and Dark Brown leather upholstery remain in, you guessed it, pristine condition. 

As the 25th F1 ever made, Chassis 029 represents a once in a lifetime to acquire a brand new example of perhaps the finest road car ever made. While putting miles on such a perfect specimen might be considered sacrilege, if you have the means to bid on a car like this we think a few more miles wouldn’t hurt. 

You can find this and more fascinating lots from Gooding's Pebble Beach sale on August 14 in the Classic Driver Market.