Like a Bar of Gold on Wheels: This McLaren F1 Is Worth a Small Nation

Going up for auction at RM Sotheby’s, this 1996 McLaren F1 GTR is valued at more than US$35 million. Its decals make it instantly recognisable as “The Pop Art F1”, and it spent more than 25 years in the care of Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason.

This powerhouse’s reputation stems from the McLaren F1 GTR’s victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans on its competitive debut. This particular car did not win the race, but it was driven at Le Mans during testing in 1996. Chassis 10R is the first of only nine F1 GTRs built to 1996 specification and was later converted for road use by the McLaren factory, so Nick Mason could, theoretically, pop out to the shops in it. Its scarlet-and-yellow factory livery made it instantly recognisable.

Pink Floyd’s drummer, Nick Mason, has owned an impeccable collection of cars, including a Ferrari 250 GTO, Maserati 250F, Bugatti Type 35, Jaguar D-Type and Porsche 962, among others.
Not everyone who has been behind its wheel has been quite so auspicious. Horror of horrors: in 2009, a journalist took it for a spin and forgot that ordinary punters do not necessarily have the skills of a racing driver, sending it into a wheat field. Fortunately, the car received a no-expense-spared restoration. If I were that journalist, I would declare bankruptcy before anyone came near me with the bill.

Despite that hiccup, the car has received extraordinary care. Lanzante’s workshop, which handled the restoration, has also maintained it after every significant drive, making this one of the most pampered McLarens in the world. And for a piece of British motorsport history, that is exactly as it should be.