- Chassis 10R sold for US$34,655,000 at RM Sotheby’s 2026 Monterey auction.
- McLaren built 10R as the first of nine 1996-spec GTRs and one of two short-tail prototypes.
- Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason owned the factory-liveried McLaren for 25 years.
McLaren F1 values have reached another remarkable level, with a singular GTR changing hands for US$34,655,000 (around NZ$58.2 million) at RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2026 auction.
The result makes chassis 10R the most expensive McLaren F1 sold publicly. Its combination of racing provenance, long-term celebrity ownership and one-off factory artwork helped distinguish it even among the tiny pool of competition-bred F1s.
Pop art meets motorsport
RM Sotheby’s describes 10R as the only McLaren F1 GTR to wear a factory-applied pop-art livery.
Beneath that vivid finish sits an equally unusual piece of F1 history: it was the first of nine GTRs built to 1996 specification and one of just two short-tail prototypes.
McLaren retained the car during its early life and used it for pre-qualifying and testing ahead of the 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was therefore part of the manufacturer’s competition programme, even though its significance is not tied to a headline race victory.
The car later passed to Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason in 1999. A well-known historic-racing enthusiast, Mason kept the McLaren for 25 years, giving 10R the kind of long, traceable ownership that matters at the top end of the collector-car market.
From racing prototype to road car
McLaren itself converted 10R for road use, broadening its appeal without separating it from the people who built it. That factory involvement is an important distinction for a competition car adapted to leave the circuit.
The auction result reflects several layers of rarity at once. Every McLaren F1 is exceptional, but 10R adds prototype status, factory competition history, unique artwork and a quarter-century in one prominent collection.
Its record price also underlines the market premium attached to uniquely configured, well-documented competition cars.
At US$34,655,000, it has now set a public benchmark for the model and marque. More than an exercise in nostalgia, the sale shows how sharply collectors value cars with an identity that cannot be recreated simply by matching a specification sheet.
