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Automotive journalists and gearheads have been trying to fault – even if subconsciously – the McLaren F1 ever since it was introduced over 25 years ago. In a way, it’s something natural, that one desires to pick apart something that seems faultless. The McLaren F1 seems to do the job it was conceived to do flawlessly, ageing like the finest of wines from the best French vineyards. With the F40, one could argue that its spartan interior and lackluster build quality is what makes it not-so-perfect but the F1’s shut lines are akin to those on the most expensive Mercedes-Benz models of the day. Is it really perfect, though? That’s something you decide for yourself but what’s certain is that RM Sotheby’s thinks this F1 updated to LM specification is worth $23 million. If they’re right, it’ll become one of the most expensive cars ever sold at auction and the most expensive one sold in 2019.
The McLaren F1 is a special car, that’s something that everyone can agree upon, even folks that think cars are merely means of transport created to take you from A to B. It was created by one man with a vision helped by the fact that he was given a blank check. You don’t really see cost-no-object cars emerge in today’s finicky auto industry but, in the mid-’90s, bolstered by a string of impressive seasons in Formula 1, McLaren thought it could do the impossible and build the supercar to top all supercars, the supercar deserving of the title ’hypercar’. Sure, many people will continue to think the supercar has reached its peak with the F40 and the F1, with its practical interior that seats three, is simply deflecting from the purest of recipes that has been applied by Nicola Materazzi when creating the F40. No matter what side of the argument you’re on, this F1 in LM guise is worthy of a deeper look and, if you can, take a look at it in the flesh on the preview day before the three-day (August 15-17) auction kicks off.
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