Is there a $20 million McLaren?

The First McLaren S1 LM Just Sold for Over $20 Million

Sure, the Las Vegas Grand Prix had fireworks, drama, and more neon than you could shake a selfie stick at—but the real headline came just off the track. In a quiet corner of the auction floor, history quietly changed hands. The very first McLaren S1 LM, hand-built by legendary designer Gordon Murray, sold for over $20 million. That’s right—twenty million dollars for a car that, while rooted in modern engineering, carries the soul of a 1990s icon.

This isn’t just another hypercar flex. The S1 LM is a spiritual successor to the legendary F1 LM, the road-legal legend that redefined performance in the '90s. Only five S1 LM models will ever exist, each painstakingly crafted by Murray’s team, blending analog purity with cutting-edge precision. And this first one? It’s not only the prototype—it’s a piece of provenance, a museum-grade artifact with keys.

Gordon Murray himself handed over the car at auction, a rare personal touch that added emotional weight to the bid war. Bidders weren’t just buying carbon fiber and horsepower—they were securing a chapter in automotive history. While Max Verstappen’s win lit up the scoreboard that weekend, this sale lit up the collector world. It’s a reminder that for all the noise of F1’s expansion into new markets, the true magic still lies in the machines and the minds that build them.

So yes—there is a $20 million McLaren. And given how few will ever see one in the flesh, it might just be worth every penny.