With just 6,500 miles on the clock, one of the most historically significant McLaren F1s ever delivered to the United States is heading to auction. Chassis 062—a 1997 McLaren F1 originally sold to Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison—is being offered by RM Sotheby’s during Monterey Car Week in August. It’s one of only seven F1s that were officially brought to the U.S. when new through Ameritech, and one of just three originally designated for U.S. roads from the factory.
A Quiet Life in California
This McLaren F1 hasn’t spent its life bouncing between collectors or hiding in a European vault. It’s stayed local. After Ellison took delivery in 1997, it remained in the San Francisco Bay Area through two more owners—all private individuals, all based in California. The car’s location never changed, and neither did its condition. It still wears its original Magnesium Silver paint and has never been repainted or retrimmed. The black leather interior, with a gray driver’s seat insert, remains as it left the factory.
BMW Power, McLaren Engineering
At the heart of the F1 is the naturally aspirated 6.1-liter BMW V12 designed by Paul Rosche. Known as the S70/2, it produces 627 horsepower and revs to over 7,500 rpm. The F1 held the record for the fastest production car for years—391 km/h (243 mph)—and still stands as the fastest naturally aspirated car ever built. There are no turbos, no hybrid tricks, and no gimmicks—just raw engineering from an era when performance was earned, not downloaded.
Service History That Actually Means Something
Low mileage cars can be tricky. Some are garage queens with questionable maintenance, others are over-serviced and over-modified. Chassis 062 strikes the right balance. It’s been lightly driven but properly maintained. The car went through a full service in 2024 at McLaren Philadelphia, including:
- A transmission rebuild
- New tires
- A refresh of the gold-foil heat shielding in the engine bay
The work was done by certified McLaren F1 technicians. All the documentation is there, dating back to the original invoice. It even comes with the factory-issued toolkit, books, luggage, and McLaren-branded detailing kit.
Tasteful, Functional Updates
Through McLaren Special Operations, the car received a few useful upgrades that don’t mess with the original character:
- Better air conditioning
- Sports exhaust
- Upgraded radiators
- Aluminum fuel tank
These changes make the car more usable without compromising its originality. The original magnesium wheels are still included, plus a second set finished in matte black.
Estimate: $23 Million and Up
Most McLaren F1s have stories. Some were repainted, converted, federalized, or raced. Chassis 062’s story is simple. It was delivered to a high-profile tech executive, kept in California, and driven sparingly. That consistency counts. It hasn’t been exported, repainted, or reimagined. It’s the kind of car that collectors tend to chase—complete, original, and well documented.
RM Sotheby’s expects chassis 062 to sell for over $23 million. Whether it hits that number remains to be seen, but the ingredients are there: U.S.-delivery, low mileage, clean history, and original condition. The auction closes on Saturday, August 16.
For anyone following the McLaren F1 market, this is the kind of listing that rarely comes around—and when it does, it tends to make headlines.
