An auction that wrote the history of Mclaren and left a mark on the world of timeless four-wheeled icons. Between hypercars and museum pieces, Abu Dhabi saw the most awaited event of the year for car collectors take place: the auction RM Sotheby’s 2025. 30 cars that followed one another with relaunches worth millions of euros, and among these one set a record. There McLaren F1 from 1994chassis “chassis 014”, which with a final figure higher than 25 million dollars officially made history as the most expensive McLaren ever sold at auction.
The most precious ever
The example featured in the auction is not only one of the 64 ever released by Mclaren, but it has a history capable of increasing its charm. Initially delivered to royal family from Brunei, the McLaren F1 chassis 014 then lived an itinerant life, moving from the United Kingdom to the United States, until arriving in Denmark. A path that has contributed to building its myth, but which is not the only element that makes it so special.
In 2007 the car returned to Woking, McLaren headquarters, for a complete refit carried out directly by the company. On that occasion the highly coveted was installed High Downforce Kitwhich improves aerodynamics without distorting the original balance of the project, and interiors inspired by the LM version, one of the most extreme and desired, have been adopted. The result is an even rarer F1, a combination that has increased bidders’ interest to significantly surpass the previous record, set at around $20.5 million.
Da Schumacher a Hamilton
To make this McLaren F1 even more fascinating there is a detail that intertwines the world of supercars with that of Formula 1. Before the repaint in 2007, the door sill had been signed by Michael Schumacher. The date is precise: 12 March 1996, just two days after the German’s retirement at the Australian Grand Prix. An autograph that tells of a historical moment and that links road F1 to one of the greatest legends of motoring.
After the restoration and the change of livery, today in the classic and very elegant Ibis White, another champion has left his mark. On the left luggage compartment stands the signature of Lewis Hamilton, then a promising young player making his debut in Formula 1 with McLaren, destined to become seven-time world champion in his own right. Two signatures, two different eras, united by a single symbolic car.
Timeless power and luxury
The McLaren F1 has been, since its debut, an object out of scale. Designed by Gordon Murray with a maniacal obsession for lightness and driving purity, it was produced in solo 64 road examples. Each unit is, in fact, a technical work of art. The engine Naturally aspirated V12 of BMW origin, mounted in a central position, it was not only powerful, but incredibly refined, capable of offering absolute performance without resorting to supercharging or electronic compromises.
For years the F1 has held the title of the world’s fastest production car, with a top speed of 391 km/ha fact that still impresses today if contextualized in the historical period. But what continues to increase its value is not just the numbers: it is the very idea of a supercar that it represents. A car designed first and foremost for the driver, with a central driving position, cutting-edge materials and technical solutions that still set standards today.
The Abu Dhabi auction is therefore not just a new economic record. It is the definitive confirmation that the McLaren F1 has entered, with no possibility of returning, the pantheon of legendary cars. And that its value, symbolic even before monetary, is destined to grow further.
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