RM Sotheby’s is offering a 1998 McLaren F1, chassis number 059, through their online auction platform. The sale begins on August 18, with bidding open for 48-hours, and the F1 will be on display at RM Sotheby’s 2022 Monterey Auction.
“Chassis number 059 is the only F1 to leave the factory with a unique headlight setup, making it a true one-off among the 64 road cars constructed and instantly recognizable to those in the know,” RM Sotheby’s states. “Midway through the McLaren F1’s production and once some customer cars had started to accumulate mileage, it was discovered that the car had a minor Achilles heel in the form of its headlights. Looking to rectify this, the factory quickly came up with a solution, for which the car presented here, chassis number 059, would be the testbed: the existing headlight internals were replaced with those from the BMW Z1 Roadster and the headlight housings themselves were made slightly shorter.”
The example offered by RM Sotheby’s is finished in Magnesium Silver over a black Alcantara and leather interior. This McLaren was acquired by its second owner in 2012 and was exported to the US under the show or display exemption. It has less than 16,400 miles and since it was acquired in 2012 it has accrued less than 300 miles.
The last F1 on the market was sold by Gooding & Co at their 2021 Pebble Beach auction for $20.5 million, a record for a McLaren F1, and well above the estimated hammer price of $15 million.
