We love the McLaren F1 here at BMWBLOG, for a few reasons. For one, we’re enthusiasts, and the F1 is perhaps the Holy Grail of the enthusiast car world. But arguably more importantly, the F1 is powered by a BMW-devised V12 power plant dubbed the S70 V12 engine. This magical piece of machinery sings a chorus of 618 horsepower all the way to 7,500 rpm. But today we’re looking at an offshoot of the F1 that gets talked about even less than usual; the longrtail. Specifically, F1 GTR chassis #27R.

Meet McLaren F1 Chassis #27R

We’ve written about specific chassis in the past — notably #17R, the FINA car, and chassis #11R— and today we’re focused on #27R. Like those, this is one of 28 F1 GTR models; unlike the others we’ve covered, it’s one of just ten longtail-bodied F1 GTRs. Strap in — that’s the first of many very important differences that distinguishes #27R. This F1 GTR won its first race at Silverstone in 1997, which also marked the first victory for a longtail car. It continued to race in the FIA GT Championship, placing top six at Silverstone, Nürburgring, and Spa. It would be an impressive, one-of-a-kind car if we stopped here, but there’s plenty more to say about 27R.

The longtail went on to compete in 24 Hours of Le Mans, rounding out its 1997 racing career. In 1999 it returned to the British GT Championship with AM Racing, now owned by James Munroe. James was a man with little competition racing experience, and luckily recruited driver Chris Goodwin as a teammate. 27R was resprayed Papaya Orange and hit the circuit with middling results. Remarkably, James Munroe was later found to be in fact a man named James Cox, who in fact happened to be embezzling quite a lot of money from publisher McGraw-Hill. Cox, or Munroe, went to jail and 27R went to auction. The new owners displayed it at the 2005 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Fast forward four years, F1 specialists Lanzante Limited converted the car for street use under the ownership of new owner Jeff Leadley. Total cost of road legalization was £110,000. Despite now being “road-legal,” the F1 GTR retains its prized S70/3 BMW V12 engine. The S70/3 is the race version of the S70/2 found in McLaren F1 road cars. It revs to 8,000 and makes a little bit more power (626 hp/494 lb-ft). Longtails also received a revised six-speed gearbox, going sequential rather than an H-pattern. The car was also featured in the the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed; the current owner has been steward of 27R since 2018.

Got a Few Million? You’ll Need a Few More

If 27R sounds like the McLaren F1 you’ve always wanted, you’re in luck. The car is up for auction with RM Sotheby’s, and bidding opens March 5 2026. So, you’ve got a little bit over 30 days to get your affairs in order or sell a kidney or root through the couch cushions and find the $20 million or so the car is expected to fetch at auction. Notably, the last F1 RM sold — chassis #14, which sported a BMW of North America service history — went for a ridiculous $25,317,500. It trounced expectations (by around $4 million); we expect this one might do the same. Anyway, you can read more about 27R — and see additional pictures of the car at the RM Sotheby’s auction listing.