For a few weeks in 2025, Australia's only McLaren F1 was for sale, and the car world took notice 1. The silver hypercar, chassis 009, was listed online in July 2025 on an international luxury marketplace 1. By August it was reportedly being loaded onto a plane, bound overseas 3. This refreshed story sets out what is known about the car, how its sale unfolded, and why a 1990s supercar with a centre driving seat is now one of the most valuable cars in the world.
Why the McLaren F1 matters
The McLaren F1 was built from 1992 to 1998 4. Its concept came from Gordon Murray, who was the car's chief engineer, with styling by Peter Stevens 4. Just 106 were made, including 64 road versions of the F1 and 28 GTR race cars 4. The rest were prototypes and the special LM and GT variants 4.
Those small numbers hide a remarkable car. The F1 was an early production road car with a complete carbon fibre monocoque 4. The driver sits in the middle, with a passenger seat slightly behind on each side 4. Behind the cabin is a 6.1 litre naturally aspirated BMW V12 that produces 461 kW and 650 Nm 4. The engine bay is lined with gold foil as a heat reflector, and Wikipedia records that about 16 g of gold went into each car 4.
Speed and racing success
The F1 also earned its fame on the road and the track. On 31 March 1998, a prototype was driven at the Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany to a two-way average of 386.4 km/h, with a peak of 391 km/h recorded by McLaren 4. Racing versions, the F1 GTR, took first, third, fourth, fifth and 13th places at the 1995 Le Mans 24 Hours 4.
That mix of engineering and scarcity, with a racing record on top, is why the car sits at the very top of the collector market. If you are curious how it compares with the rest of the field, our list of the fastest cars in the world and our guide to the most expensive cars put it in context.
Australia's only McLaren F1: chassis 009
Australia's car is chassis 009, built in 1994 1. Torque Cafe describes it as the only McLaren F1 delivered to Australia 3. The web address of the 2025 listing named it a 1992 car, but Torque Cafe reported that it was built in 1994 1.
Its first owner was the then chief executive of Coca-Cola Amatil, who took delivery of it in Sydney in 1994 2. Man of Many reports that he built his own 5.1 km racetrack at Kulnara, north of Sydney 2.
A crash in 1997
The car's best known moment came off the track. In 1997 it was crashed by a member of BMW Sydney's technical staff 2. Where the crash happened has never been confirmed 2. Man of Many describes the repair bill as just under $2 million in today's money 2. The car went back to McLaren in Woking, England, for the work 2. Its paint was changed from the original Magnesium Silver to a slightly darker shade 3.
Later owners and a concours award
Man of Many names two later owners, the last of whom had owned the car for two decades 2. In 2016 it went into a ditch during a McLaren driving tour from Auckland to Queenstown in New Zealand 2. The car was repaired once more, and in 2024 it won the People's Choice and Next Gen awards at the Noosa Concours d'Elegance 1.
By the time it was offered for sale, the car had covered about 16,900 km and had recently been serviced by McLaren Special Operations 3.
How the 2025 sale unfolded
The listing appeared on the international luxury marketplace JamesEdition in July 2025 3. When Torque Cafe reported on it on 24 July 2025, the price was available only on request 1. Older screenshots reportedly showed a price of $37 million 1. That figure is what made headlines in Australia, including on this blog.
The listing raised questions. Torque Cafe reported uncertainty about whether the car was truly for sale, with allegations that the advertisement used photos of a different car 3. In August 2025, images surfaced of the car being loaded onto a plane, reportedly bound for Dubai 3. Man of Many reports that plane spotters later tracked it to Stansted Airport in England 2.
For sale again, overseas
Torque Cafe later reported that chassis 009 was being offered by a British specialist dealer, again without a published price, and that the car was understood to be overseas 3. Our team has found no published record of a final sale price. What is clear is that, for now, Australia no longer has a McLaren F1 of its own.
Another famous F1 crash
Chassis 009 is not the only F1 whose crash became part of its story. The best known belongs to Elon Musk. The Drive reports that Musk used US$1 million of the money he made from selling his first company, Zip2, to buy an F1 5.
In 2000, Musk was driving the investor Peter Thiel up Sand Hill Road in Palo Alto, California, on the way to a meeting about PayPal 5. Thiel asked what the car could do. Musk replied "Watch this", tried to change lanes under hard acceleration, and the rear wheels broke loose 5. The car spun into an embankment and bounced back onto the road 5. Neither man was hurt, but the car was not insured, and its damage included a destroyed suspension and a smashed windscreen 5. Musk reportedly had it repaired and sold it in 2007 5.
The two crashes are sometimes mixed up in online stories, including in the earlier version of this article. They are different cars: Musk's F1 was in California, while chassis 009 was crashed in Sydney in 1997 2. The lesson from both is the same. Even a car of this rarity can be rebuilt by its maker, and a well documented repair becomes one more chapter in the car's history rather than the end of it.
What McLaren F1s sell for
Was $37 million a realistic price? Public auction results give a guide. The highest price paid for a McLaren F1 at auction, as listed on Wikipedia's record of the most expensive cars sold at auction, is US$20,465,000 for a 1995 car, chassis 029, sold by Gooding and Company at Pebble Beach in August 2021 6. Other results on the same list include 6:
- US$19,805,000 for a 1994 F1 in LM specification, chassis 018, in August 2019 6
- US$15,620,000 for a 1995 F1, chassis 044, in August 2017 6
- US$13,750,000 for a 1998 F1 in LM specification, chassis 073, in August 2015 6
- US$8,470,000 for a 1997 F1, chassis 066, in August 2013 6
Those results show how fast values rose over a decade. They also show why a single F1 for sale, wherever it is, makes news. Every one of these cars is known by its chassis number, and buyers study each car's history and condition closely.
Why a crash history does not end a car's value
A car like chassis 009 shows how collectors weigh history. A serious crash and a factory repair are part of its record 2. So are a single-digit chassis number and Australian delivery, along with a recent concours award 1. Buyers at this level look at the documentation as closely as the car. For an ordinary used car, the lesson is the same on a smaller scale: a clear, honest history is worth money.
What this means for Australian enthusiasts
The F1's departure is a loss for local car culture. A car that was part of Australian motoring for three decades, driven on a private track north of Sydney, crashed in Sydney and celebrated at Noosa, has gone overseas.
For most of us, a McLaren F1 is something to admire at a concours or in a museum. Its story still carries a lesson for anyone buying a car with some age on it.
Lessons for buying any used car
Chassis 009's value rests on paperwork as much as metal: its build year, its owners, its repairs and its recent service by McLaren Special Operations are all on record 3. Even the listing's model year did not match the car's 1994 build, and the build year is the one that counts 1. An everyday used car deserves the same scrutiny on a smaller scale. Ask the seller for the service book and receipts, and compare the dates and odometer readings with what they tell you. Ask directly whether the car has been in an accident or repaired, and look for paint that does not match between panels.
A car with a repair in its past is not automatically a bad buy, as long as the work was done properly and the price reflects it. A written report from an independent mechanic, done before you pay, is the best way to find out, whatever the car is worth.
Our buyer safety guide covers the checks for a private sale, and our story on the flood damaged McLaren P1 shows what can happen to a hypercar's history.
You can read Torque Cafe's report on the listing and its follow-up for more detail. When you are ready to look for your own next car, start with the cars on Car Domain.
Sources
- Torque Cafe, Australia's only McLaren F1 is for sale, accessed 2 November 2026
- Man of Many, Australia's only McLaren F1 leaves the country, accessed 2 November 2026
- Torque Cafe, Australia's McLaren F1 for sale... again, accessed 2 November 2026
- Wikipedia, McLaren F1, accessed 2 November 2026
- The Drive, Did You Know Elon Musk Wrecked an Uninsured McLaren F1?, accessed 2 November 2026
- Wikipedia, List of most expensive cars sold at auction, accessed 2 November 2026
