Secretive billionaire bought the only McLaren F1 in Australia then flew it to the UK to end a 30-year story
Published on Sep 01, 2025 at 6:29 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Aug 29, 2025 at 3:07 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
The only McLaren F1 in Australia has been snapped up by a secretive billionaire and was loaded onto an Emirates plane and flown to the UK.
The McLaren F1, chassis 009, was reportedly placed up for sale in Australia.
But after its reported $37 million (USD $24 million) asking price failed to attract an Aussie buyer, it was shipped off overseas.
The McLaren F1 was seen being loaded onto a plane in Melbourne and has since landed safely in the UK.
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The only McLaren F1 in Australia has officially left the country
McLaren made 106 F1s in total, but only 64 of them were road-legal.
One of those 64 was originally delivered to a wealthy CEO in Sydney, who reportedly made good use of the powerful V12 engine on his very own personal race track.
However, in 1997, disaster struck the McLaren F1 after it was taken for a joyride by a junior mechanic and ended up getting seriously smashed up.
According to reports, the crash was so bad that the F1 had to be sent back to the UK to be fixed at McLaren’s headquarters.
Fast-forward a few years, and with the car fixed, its owner sold it, and then it changed hands again a year or so later.
That owner also held onto it for almost 20 years, during which he also reportedly damaged it.
But thankfully, McLaren repaired it back to mint condition.
Earlier this month, the only McLaren F1 in Australia was spotted being put onto an Emirates plane at an airport in Melbourne.
The plane was reportedly headed for Dubai leading to speculation that it could have been snapped up by a Middle Eastern buyer.
However, WhichCar? since revealed that Dubai was merely a stopping point for the McLaren F1 and that it was actually making its way to the UK.
It has since been collected by exotic car dealer Tom Hartley Junior.
McLaren F1s don’t come cheap
McLaren launched the F1 all the way back in 1992, and it became an instant icon.
With only 64 being built as road cars, McLaren ensured exclusivity.
The rarity of the car, coupled with its impressive performance and heritage, means that anyone hoping to get their hands on one will need deep pockets.
On the rare occasion that a McLaren F1 does go up for sale, the price tag can exceed $20 million – like this example that was recently sold at auction.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
