The most expensive British car EVER: Iconic 1990s McLaren F1 sells for $34M at auction

Photo: © IMAGO

McLaren

The most expensive British car ever: Iconic 1990s McLaren F1 sells for $34M at auction

Worth every penny if you ask us

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Tuesday 18 August 2026 09:45 Updated: 09:58

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The record for the most expensive British car sold at a public auction has been smashed over the weekend, with an iconic 1996 McLaren F1 GTR selling for just under $35m.

Before this past weekend, the highest figure paid for a British car at auction came in 2025, when a 1994 McLaren F1 sold for $25.31m under the hammer in Abu Dhabi. Prior to that, a 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 held the record after being sold for $22.55m in 2017.

Both of those sums have now been blown out of the water, with a 1996 McLaren F1 GTR car with a factory 'pop art' livery selling for $34,655,000 at an RM Sotheby's auction in California.

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McLaren F1 GTR history

Built from the legendary McLaren F1, the GTR was created to take on the world’s fastest GT racers, with the racing version famously winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright in 1995.

For 1996, McLaren developed the car further, adding more aerodynamic performance and reducing weight to keep pace with their increasingly sophisticated rivals.

Only nine 1996 cars were built, with Chassis 10R - the car that has been sold at auction - the first car off the production line in 1996 spec, and one of only two short-tail prototype GTRs made by McLaren, alongside 01R, the 1995 Le Mans winner.

The 1996 McLaren F1 GTR sold for $34,655,000 at an auction in California / Credit: Imago

This specific chassis of the F1 GTR was retained by McLaren for development and testing, including running ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1996, although it didn't officially compete in the race.

Eventually, it was converted for road use, and it went on to be acquired by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason in 1999, who owned it for a quarter of a decade before a private sale in 2024.