A rare 1996 McLaren F1 GTR, known as “The Pop Art F1,” sold for $34,655,000 to set a new marque record and become the most expensive British car ever sold at public auction.
Nick Mason’s 1996 McLaren F1 GTR, chassis #10R, in factory livery set a new marque and British car record when it achieved almost $35 million at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2026 classic car auction. It was the first GTR converted for road use and one of two short-tail prototypes built to 1996 specification. Chassis #10R raised the McLaren marque and British-made car record by almost $10 million. It is one of the ten most expensive cars ever sold at public auction.
1996 McLaren F1 GTR: Most Expensive British Car Ever
The 1996 McLaren F1 GTR, chassis #10R, sold for a record $34,655,000 as the most expensive British-built car and the most expensive McLaren ever sold at public auction at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2026 sale.
The GTR took both records from a white, standard 1994 McLaren F1 that achieved $25 million at the RM Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi 2025 sale. At the time of the sale, the new-record McLaren was the tenth-most expensive car ever and the third McLaren to sell at public auction for over $20 million.
Chassis #10R just missed the pre-sale estimate of “In excess of $35 million.” Other F1s are believed to have sold privately for more. However, the last GTR sold at public auction was over a decade ago and achieved $5,280,000 at Gooding Scottsdale 2014.
1996 McLaren F1 GTR Chassis #10R
McLaren F1 GTR cars are rare, and the one sold at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2026 classic car auction was a particularly special and well-known car. This 1996 McLaren F1 GTR, chassis #10R, was the first of only two short-tail prototypes built as a development of the 1995 winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, chassis 01R.
Chassis #10R participated in qualifying for Le Mans in 1996, but it was the sister car, chassis #11R, that competed in the actual race. It wears the special McLaren factory livery in Blood Red with bold yellow “96 GTR” graphics, which led to its nickname “The Pop Art F1”.
Only nine McLaren F1 GTR cars were built to 1996 specification — the fastest of the F1 series. Chassis 10R was the first one to be converted by McLaren for road use.
Nick Mason’s McLaren F1 GTR
McLaren sold the car in 1999 to Nick Mason, the drummer of Pink Floyd, whose car collection has included, among others, a Ferrari 250 GTO, Maserati 250F, Bugatti Type 35, Jaguar D-Type, and Porsche 962.
Mason is understood to have maintained an open-checkbook approach to the car’s maintenance, returning it to Lanzante following significant use and ensuring it remained in exceptional cosmetic and mechanical condition.
As a former race car, the McLaren apparently has no odometer. However, it has been at Goodwood several times, and Mason participated in the 750-kilometer 20th Anniversary Tour organized by the 106 Drivers Club and joined five other F1 GTRs for the Club’s Tour of Tuscany, a 750-kilometer road rally based in Siena, Italy. It has therefore been driven significantly more than many modern hypercars offered at auctions.
McLaren F1 Supercar Auction Prices
Only 106 of the McLaren F1 supercars were ever built. Of these, 64 were originally road cars (F1), 28 race cars (GTR), 5 Le Mans cars (LM), 2 longtails (GT), and 7 prototypes (XP). At least nine of the GTR racers were converted to road use. McLaren F1 cars rarely come to auction — private sales seem more frequent but still rare given the scarcity of the model and the very high prices.
Top McLaren F1 Public Auction Prices
Recent public auction prices for McLaren F1 cars include:
| R | Year | Car | Price ($) | Auction House | Auction | Auction Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1996 | McLaren F1 GTR, #10R | 34,655,000 | RM Sotheby’s | Monterey | 2026 |
| 2 | 1994 | McLaren F1 | 25,317,500 | RM Sotheby’s | Abu Dhabi | 2025 |
| 3 | 1995 | McLaren F1 | 20,465,000 | Gooding | Pebble Beach | 2021 |
| 4 | 1994 | McLaren F1 ‘LM-Specification’ | 19,805,000 | RM Sotheby’s | Monterey | 2019 |
| 5 | 1995 | McLaren F1 | 15,620,000 | Bonhams | Quail Lodge | 2017 |
| 6 | 1998 | McLaren F1 “LM-Specification” | 13,750,000 | RM Sotheby’s | Monterey | 2015 |
| 7 | 1997 | McLaren F1 | 8,470,000 | Gooding | Pebble Beach | 2013 |
| 8 | 1997 | McLaren F1 GTR Longtail | 5,280,000 | Gooding | Scottsdale | 2014 |
The 1996 McLaren F1 GTR, chassis #10R, sold for a record $34,655,000, as the most expensive British-built car and the most expensive McLaren ever sold at public auction. It increased both records by almost $10 million from the white, standard 1994 McLaren F1, which sold for $25 million at the RM Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi 2025 sale.
The third-most expensive McLaren was a metallic brown 1995 McLaren F1 with only 390 km (242 miles) on the clock that sold for $20,465,000 at Gooding Pebble Beach 2021.
More on the Most Expensive Cars Ever Sold
- The Most Expensive Cars of All Time – $10 Million Plus for a full listing of cars selling for more than $10 million at public auctions.
- Cars Sold for Over $20 Million – The Most-Expensive Cars Ever
- Cars Sold for $15 to $20 Million – Not all Italian but mostly California Spiders
- Cars Sold for $12 to $15 Million – including the French record holders
- Cars Sold for $10 to $12 Million – a mixed bunch of great marques
- Marque Records
- Most Expensive Formula 1 Grand Prix Racing Cars Ever
Top-Ten Lists for 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 & all-time.