What you’re looking at here might very well be the best and most pristine example of an untouched McLaren F1 on planet Earth. Not only does this car have only 148 original miles on the odometer, but apparently it has never even been registered. Those miles are pre-delivery test miles that were conducted by McLaren technicians when selling the car in the first place back in 1997. Aside from that, the car hasn’t moved under its own power in the twenty years of ownership! Unfortunately, no information was given regarding where the car was stored, or why in the hell it was never driven, but one look at it and you can clearly see that it was definitely well taken care of.
When I say the car is brand new, I mean that quite literally. If you pull open the door, you’ll see that entire interior of the car is still wrapped in the factory foam wrapping to protect it during transport. And I do mean every square inch of that interior from the floors to the roof. That’s not all, it also comes complete with all the goodies that came with the car when it was purchased back in 97′ such as a Facom tool chest, custom fit luggage, spare removable steering wheel, plus the added upgrade of the LM-style exhaust system. All of which are still in the factory packaging mind you. It even comes with the commemorative Tag-Heuer wristwatch that’s engraved with the cars chassis number that’s never been worn either.
According to the F1’s owners manual, which is a beautifully hand illustrated masterpiece that in itself would be worth a small fortune to the right collector, the car was shipped to Japan where it has sat ever since. As a hardcore moto enthusiast, it seems like a crime against humanity to have a car that at the time was the fastest, most powerful, and most prestigious car on the market and never drive it, NEVER! Imagine how hard it must’ve been to know that thing was sitting there, and that you had the keys, but never once take it out to the open road. Keep in mind, powering this monster is the 6.1L V12 sourced from BMW that churns out 627hp and had a World Record top speed of 240mph.
Needless to say, the owner of this magnificent machine must’ve had iron-clad willpower. However, if you’re not really a “car guy,” it’s possible to look at this from another perspective, and that’s as an investment. Not too long ago we reported on a 1995 F1 that sold at a Bonhams Auction for a record-breaking $15.6 million, and that particular example had almost 10,000 miles on it. Considering this “brand new” F1 is also up for sale, I think it’s safe to assume that record will be shattered here before too long. It won’t even surprise me if it breaks over the $20 million threshold and if it continues to be in this same condition it could possibly set the overall record for the most expensive road-going car too. It’s currently listed at Tom Hartley JNR and we’re interested to see how this story plays out, I highly doubt this will be the last we hear of this badass legendary supercar. Although, secretly I do hope the new owner paints it something other than that god-awful yellow.
All Photos: TomHartleyJNR