McLaren F1 GTR Longtail Sells for $5.28 Million at Auction

This extremely rare white 1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail has just been sold at Gooding and Company’s Scottsdale auction for an impressive $5.28 million. This follows on from previous reports where it was expected to fetch between $5 and $7 million when the final hammer fell.

This McLaren F1 is the first to hit the market since Pebble Beach early last year when a road-going example managed to fetch $8.47 million. It will also be the first McLaren F1 offered publicly since customers started taking delivery of the McLaren P1.

This F1 GTR Longtail is one of just 10 built 1997 season following success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1995. At this point in time, the top tier of motorsport was progressing at quite a rate so McLaren sought to upgrade and try something new for the 1997 season.

For the 1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail, weight was further reduced and a sequential gearbox was added. The engine fitted to the car is the slightly detuned 6.0 litre version of the BMW V12 instead of the previous 6.1 litre. The car also got a distinctive modified bodywork, providing it with its Longtail status. The increased length served to increase rear downforce.

1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail chassis number 021R raced as part of the Works BMW Motorsport Schnitzer Team, driven by JJ Lehto and Steve Soper, and had four podium finishes out of five FIA GT Championship races, winning at Hockenheimring and Helsinki.

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