One of the most significant McLaren F1s ever built is set to cross the block at RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale next month, with the Canadian auction house estimating the ex-Nick Mason McLaren F1 GTR, chassis 10R, at more than $35 million.
Dubbed ‘The Pop-Art F1’, chassis 10R occupies a unique position in McLaren history. It was the first F1 GTR built to 1996 specification, one of only two factory ‘XP’ Short-Tail prototypes and, perhaps most significantly, the only McLaren F1 GTR to wear a factory-created livery. Finished in vivid Blood Red with bold yellow graphics, it remains one of the most recognisable F1s ever produced.
The car’s importance stems from its role in the evolution of the F1 GTR programme. Following the McLaren F1’s sensational outright victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, McLaren developed a revised version of the GTR to combat increasingly specialised rivals such as the Porsche 911 GT1. The resulting 1996-specification cars featured revised aerodynamics, a more aggressive front splitter and further weight-saving measures. Chassis 10R was the first of only nine examples built to this specification and served as a factory development prototype ahead of the 1996 Le Mans campaign.
Its prototype status is a key part of the car’s appeal. Speaking ahead of the sale, F1 designer Gordon Murray described prototypes as being ‘almost more collectable than the production cars’ because they represent the first physical realisation of a designer’s vision. Chassis 10R shares that distinction with only one other car: 01R, the Lanzante-run F1 GTR that won Le Mans outright in 1995.
The car remained with McLaren until 1999, when it was sold directly to Pink Floyd drummer and noted collector Nick Mason. Converted for road use by the factory and later refined by Lanzante, it became one of the earliest F1 GTRs adapted for use beyond the circuit. During Mason’s 25-year ownership it was maintained regardless of cost, undergoing major restorations in 2009 and following an incident at Goodwood in 2017.
For more information on the car, see rmsothebys.com
