Tech millionaires, it may be time to sell the Bitcoin you’ve been holding onto. One of the most pristine examples of the legendary McLaren F1, chassis 062, once owned by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, is hitting the blocks soon at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction. Listed with an estimated value above $23 million, owing to its 6,500-mile odometer reading and a host of factory upgrades, this could become the most valuable McLaren F1 ever. The previous highest-selling McLaren F1, chassis 029, sold for $20.5 million in 2021, and it’s safe to say the collector car market has appreciated since then.
Larry Ellison’s 1-of-7 US import McLaren F1
Back in 1997, when Oracle was printing money and Larry Ellison was cementing his status as Silicon Valley royalty, he did what any self-respecting tech billionaire would do. He bought a McLaren F1 for $815,000, one of only seven exported to the United States. Finished in Magnesium Silver and delivered in August 1997, this wasn’t just any impulse purchase; it was the 53rd of only 106 road-going F1s ever built. Even better, it wore “ORACLE8” vanity plates that declared to the world who owned it.
Ellison kept this automotive masterpiece for over a decade but managed to clock fewer than 2,600 miles on the odometer. That’s roughly 260 miles per year, which in a masterpiece like the F1 should be criminal. But then again, when you own multiple Hawaiian islands and a collection of superyachts, perhaps the McLaren F1 was just another beautiful object in an already crowded lifestyle portfolio.
The ‘Silicon F1’s’ musical chair ownership history
After its extended stay in Ellison’s climate-controlled fortress, chassis 062 found its way to another Bay Area collector via Ferrari Maserati of Silicon Valley. The car has enjoyed just three private owners total, which in McLaren F1 terms is practically nothing. Each owner clearly understood they were custodians of automotive history, hardly racking up miles for a total of 6,500 miles at the time of listing. The car still carries its original owner’s manuals, luggage set, tool kit, service modem/laptop and torque wrench.
Pristine McLaren F1 refurbished and upgraded from the factory
In 2012, this F1 received thoughtful updates through McLaren Special Operations, as is often the case for high-value clients. The refurbishment work wasn’t just about keeping the car running. It was about preserving a piece of automotive DNA that represents the peak of analog supercar engineering. Every component was treated with the reverence typically reserved for museum pieces, because that’s essentially what this car is —a museum piece that happens to be street-legal.
Among the upgrades chassis 062 carries are aluminum fuel tanks instead of the bladders it originally came with, new radiators and an upgraded air-conditioning system. Most recently, the car’s transmission was rebuilt by McLaren Philadelphia, also getting a new windshield.
The fastest naturally-aspirated production car in the world for over 25 years
Under the McLaren F1’s rear clamshell sits a naturally aspirated 6.1-liter V12 engine, crafted by BMW’s M Division, producing 627 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque. Mated to a six-speed manual transmission, this powertrain represents everything modern supercars have forgotten about.
The F1’s legendary top speed of 240.1 mph made it the fastest production car for over a decade, making for a record that stood longer than most tech startups survive.
The car’s carbon fiber monocoque construction and gold-lined engine bay are just one of the many highlights of one of the greatest cars ever made. Considering the RM Sotheby’s auction is sealed, we may never know how much the Silcon F1 ends up selling for, though we have a feeling the car world will find a way to figure it out.
