One-off headlight McLaren F1 for sale

The McLaren F1 is catching up to the Ferrari 250 GTO in terms of high auction prices, and the car being offered here is no exception.

The car is being offered in a private sale by RM Sotheby's alongside the auction house's traditional sale, which runs from August 18-20.

This F1 was built in 1998 and is car #59 of the 64 road-going F1 cars built. The headlight design is unique to this car and is instantly recognizable to fans.

Toward the midpoint of F1 production, McLaren began developing a new headlight design in response to complaints from existing owners about low nighttime illumination, and car 59 was the test bed, featuring internal construction borrowed from the BMW Z1 headlights and a slimmer outer housing than other F1 cars. It is a prototype of a unique headlight design that features an internal structure borrowed from the BMW Z1 headlights and an outer housing that is slimmer than those of other F1 cars. It is also fitted with a high-downforce kit.

The original owner of the car was a British resident named John Studholm, who was the founder of a company that manufactured typewriter cassettes and, later, inkjet printer cartridges. He traded in his number 17 F1 for this car and subsequently owned an F1 GTR racing car.

Car 59 was sold to its second and current owner at the end of 2012. Along with the second F1 owned by the same owner, it is mostly stored in an air-conditioned warehouse and has less than 300 miles on it since it was last in human hands. according to RM Sotheby's, multiple F1 owners own multiple models, bringing the total number of F1 owners (road and racing cars) is significantly less than the 106 cars manufactured.

Nearly 30 years after its introduction, the F1 still reigns as an icon thanks to innovative design features such as the central driving position, carbon fiber bodywork (a novelty at the time), and gold-lined engine compartment. It also has a great analogue in the form of a high-revving 6.1-liter BMW V-12 engine paired with a six-speed manual transaxle.

How much would Car 59 sell for? An F1 with only 243 miles on the odometer sold for approximately $20.5 million in 2021. It also sold for $19.8 million just two years earlier.

Monterey Car Week runs from August 12-21 in and around Monterey, CA, culminating with the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 21. For a full rundown, see the dedicated hub.