RM Sotheby’s achieved marque record results on McLaren F1 and racing cars at the Abu Dhabi 2025 classic car auction.
New McLaren marque and model records were set at the RM Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi 2025 sale. A 1994 McLaren F1 became the most expensive McLaren car ever sold at auction when it achieved over $25 million. The future The 2026 McLaren Formula 1 Team MCL40A sold for $11,480,000 as the most expensive McLaren Formula 1 racing car ever. A unique 2006 Pagani Zonda Riviera sold for over $10 million, while a 2025 Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 sold for $5.6 million.
RM Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi Sale 2025
RM Sotheby’s sold 13 cars for over a million dollars each at the Abu Dhabi, UAE, collector car auction on 5 December 2025. The sale grossed over $84 million, as the most successful car auction in the UAE ever.
Top Results at RM Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi Sale 2025
The following were the top results for cars selling for over a million dollars at the RM Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi 2025 car auction:
| R | Year | Car | Price ($) |
| 1 | 1994 | McLaren F1 | 25,317,500 |
| 2 | 2026 | McLaren Formula 1 Team MCL40A | 11,480,000 |
| 3 | 2006 | Pagani Zonda Riviera | 10,130,000 |
| 4 | 2027 | McLaren United AS WEC Hypercar Team | 7,598,750 |
| 5 | 2025 | Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 | 5,630,000 |
| 6 | 1990 | Ferrari F40 | 3,886,250 |
| 7 | 2014 | Ferrari LaFerrari | 3,380,000 |
| 8 | 2022 | Ferrari Monza SP2 | 2,536,250 |
| 9 | 2015 | Porsche 918 ‘Weissach’ Spyder | 1,715,000 |
| 10 | 2011 | Ferrari SA Aperta | 1,568,750 |
| 11 | 2023 | Ferrari 812 Competizione | 1,355,000 |
| 12 | 2016 | Ferrari F12tdf | 1,096,250 |
| 13 | 1991 | Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer – Classic Services | 1,073,750 |
Top Results at the RM Sotheby’s 2025 Abu Dhabi Auction
The top results at the RM Sotheby’s 2025 classic car auction in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, included:
1994 McLaren F1 — Most Expensive McLaren Ever
The most expensive car sold in the RM Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi 2025 sale was the 1994 McLaren F1, chassis 014, that achieved a marque and model record $25,317,500. The record price made the F1 the 14th most expensive car ever sold at public auction and only the 23rd car to achieve over $20 million. The presale estimate was “in excess of $21 million.”
The record 1994 McLaren F1 was the 14th of only 64 road-specification F1 hypercars produced. It was originally delivered new to the Brunei Royal Family, finished in Titanium Yellow over black. Following a rebuild by McLaren in 2007, which included fitting a high-downforce kit, it was finished in the current Ibis White.
The result increased the McLaren marque record from the $20,465,000 paid for a 1995 McLaren F1 with only 390 km (242 miles) on the clock at the Gooding Pebble Beach 2021 sale.
2026 McLaren Racing Cars
The RM Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi 2025 auction also included the sale of three remarkable McLaren racing cars. These three cars are for the 2026 or 2027 racing series and thus haven’t yet been completed or raced. The buyers thus speculated on the performance of the cars with no guarantees of the cars being race winners or even competitive. Delivery of the cars in running condition and some track-day support is only expected around March 2028.
2026 McLaren Formula 1 Team MCL40A
The 2026 McLaren Formula 1 Team MCL40A sold for $11,480,000 as the most expensive McLaren Formula 1 racing car ever. It is the sixth-highest price ever for a Formula 1 car at auction and the fourth-highest for a modern F1 racing car.
McLaren did not indicate which car will be presented to the buyer. The car is thus purchased on speculation and without knowledge of whether Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris will drive the car or in which races. Given the major change in Formula 1 regulations for the 2026 season, there is also no guarantee that the car will actually be competitive at all.
A rather risky speculation. The previous record for a McLaren Formula 1 single-seater racing car was $6,741,384 paid for the 2010 McLaren MP4-25A, which was the first Lewis Hamilton race-winning car ever sold at auction.
The only other McLaren racing car selling for over $5 million was the 1993 McLaren MP4-8A, in which Ayrton Senna won his 6th Monaco GP — it sold for a slightly disappointing $5,009,266 at Bonhams Monaco 2018. In a clear demonstration of how the market has developed in the last couple of years, the 1991 McLaren MP4/6, in which Senna won the 1991 Brazilian GP, is on offer in a sealed-bid sale in December 2025 with an expected price of $12 to $15 million.
2027 McLaren United AS WEC Hypercar Team
The 2027 McLaren United AS WEC Hypercar Team sold for a strong $7,598,750. As with the Formula 1 car, this racer is for a future series without any guarantees of success or which drivers will be involved. McLaren hopes to win Le Mans with this car but only in 2027.
2026 Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team Dallara-Chevrolet DW12
The 2026 Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team Dallara-Chevrolet DW12 sold for $848,750. The price, less than a tenth of the Formula 1 car in the same sale, reflects how far F1 has increased in popularity in the last couple of years
Other Top Results
A few further standout results at the RM Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi 2025 classic car auction included:
- 2006 Pagani Zonda Riviera — at $10,130,000, the second highest price for a Zonda ever and only the second one to achieve over $10 million at auction. This Zonda F was transformed by the Pagani Unico programme to a unique specification with a pearl white exterior featuring blue accents over a leather, carbon fibre, and deep blue Alcantara interior.
- 2025 Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 — setting the model record at $5,630,000, as it was the first one ever at auction. It was the 35th of 100 produced and was offered with only 217 on the clock.
- A 1990 Ferrari F40 in “non-cat, non-adjust” specification sold for $3,886,250. Alain Prost briefly owned but never used the F40. He signed the roof at the request of the subsequent owner.