Pink Floyd drummer's McLaren could fetch over $35M
Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason is selling his one-of-a-kind 1996 McLaren F1 GTR at RM Sotheby's Monterey auction next month, where it is expected to fetch in excess of $35 million. The factory road-converted race car, chassis 10R, could become the most expensive McLaren ever sold.
Key Takeaways
- RM Sotheby's estimates Mason's 1996 McLaren F1 GTR will sell for more than $35 million in Monterey.
- Chassis 10R is the first of nine 1996 examples and the only F1 GTR with a factory scarlet-and-yellow livery.
- McLaren converted the Le Mans-bred race car for road use before Mason bought it directly in 1999.
- A sale at that level would top the $25.3 million paid for a 1994 McLaren F1 late last year.
Why is Nick Mason's McLaren expected to clear $35 million?
Scarcity and provenance sit at the heart of the estimate. McLaren built just 28 F1 GTRs over three years after the racing variant debuted in 1995 and took overall victory at that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Mason's car is the first of only nine examples built in 1996. It is one of just two short-tail GTRs—alongside the 1995 Le Mans winner—and the only one finished in a factory livery. According to Robb Report, that scarlet and yellow scheme was inspired by 1990s pop art.
When and where will the Pink Floyd drummer's car sell?
RM Sotheby's will offer the McLaren at its annual Monterey sale from Thursday, August 12, through Saturday, August 15, at the city's convention center. Fans of luxury real estate and dream homes know Monterey Car Week routinely draws trophy assets that sit beside the world's most exclusive collections.
The auction house says the gavel price should land "in excess" of $35 million. That figure would make the car the most expensive McLaren of all time, displacing a 1994 F1 that sold for $25.3 million late last year.
What makes chassis 10R different from other F1 GTRs?
Like other 1996 F1 GTRs, the car packs a BMW-sourced 6.0-liter V-12 rated at 591 hp—slightly less than the road-going F1's peak of up to 618 hp because racing air restrictors were required. For street legality, McLaren removed those restrictors, raised the suspension for more ground clearance, and fitted mufflers plus passenger seats.
Mason acquired the car directly from the automaker in 1999. It then spent nearly three decades in the Pink Floyd drummer's personal collection before heading to auction as a one-owner private race car with factory road conversion.