Sultan of Brunei’s McLaren F1 GT reappears after years out of sight as it’s loaded into a Boeing 787 bound for London
Published on Jan 21, 2026 at 5:51 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Jan 21, 2026 at 5:51 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
After going unseen for years, the Sultan of Brunei’s McLaren F1 GT reappeared as it was being loaded into a Boeing 787 heading for London.
The ruler has an impressive collection, but it’s shrouded in secrecy.
That’s no different with this GT, of which only three were ever made.
However, someone managed to snap a photo of it as it was being loaded onto a London-bound plane, which raises a whole new set of questions.
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How the Sultan of Brunei’s McLaren F1 GT got photographed being loaded onto a plane
The picture was shared with the world via the Instagram account brunei_car_collection, which tracks the movements of former and current Brunei-owned cars.
The McLaren F1 GT was being loaded onto a Boeing 787, allegedly heading for London’s Heathrow Airport.
This car hasn’t been seen for a few years, so it’s a remarkable stroke of luck that someone managed to snap a photo of it.
According to the Instagram post, the car is being brought to McLaren HQ in the UK for restoration and maintenance work.
It’s not clear how much this restoration will cost, but let’s face it – the Sultan isn’t strapped for cash.
He has $300 million worth of McLaren F1s in his collection.
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This ruler is living the high life
It might seem like stating the obvious to say the Sultan of Brunei is living like a king… But it bears repeating.
When you have a $5 billion car collection filled with 7,000 vehicles, that’s worth shouting about – even if he’s keeping them under a tight lid.
This is very different from some other royals, who are more than happy to show off their cars.
Take Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan al Nahyan from Abu Dhabi as an example of the exact opposite.
He put his rainbow collection of Mercedes-Benz up for display in a museum.
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Following stints at LadBible, The Sun, The New York Post, and the Daily Mail, Ben joined the team full-time in February 2025. In his role as Senior Content Writer, his sparkling copy, the ability to sniff out a good story at 100 paces, and a GSOH quickly led to him becoming an integral and invaluable member of the writing staff.
