A McLaren F1 GTR owned by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason is heading to auction, where it could become one of the most valuable McLarens ever sold. According to RM Sotheby’s, chassis 10R will be offered at Monterey on 15 August with a value listed in excess of $35 million, or around £26 million.
Its history goes a long way towards explaining that figure. Chassis 10R was the first of only nine F1 GTRs built to 1996 specification and one of two Short-Tail prototypes, alongside 01R, the car that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995.
McLaren kept the 10R as a development car and used it for testing ahead of the 1996 Le Mans race. It completed pre-qualifying at Circuit de la Sarthe, although another car went on to compete in the race itself.
The car is also difficult to mistake for any other McLaren F1. Its scarlet-and-yellow factory livery was influenced by 1990s pop art, and RM Sotheby’s describes it as the only F1 GTR to receive a factory-designed colour scheme.
Nick Mason bought the car directly from McLaren in 1999 and has remained its only private owner. His connection gives the car another piece of British cultural history, particularly because the Pink Floyd drummer is also known for owning and racing some of the world’s most important classic cars.
Chassis 10R has been used regularly rather than kept hidden away. It was damaged during drives in 2009 and at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting in 2017, with Lanzante carrying out extensive restoration work after both incidents.
McLaren also converted the car for road use before Mason took ownership. That makes it an unusually usable example of an early F1 GTR, even with its prototype background and Le Mans testing history.
The combination of factory provenance, long-term ownership and one-off styling would be difficult to repeat. A price above $35 million would be extraordinary, but for a McLaren F1 with this much history, it is not difficult to see why Monterey bidders will be watching closely.