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McLaren W1 First Drive: Ferocious Hypercar Transcends the Track

You know things are getting serious when McLaren rolls-out the ‘1’ suffix. The origin story is, of course, the very first road car McLaren ever built, the F1. Designed by visionary Formula 1 aerodynamicist and engineer Gordon Murray, it arrived in 1992 and rendered all other supercars obsolete. The tiny, lightweight F1 embraced carbon-fibre material technology, adopted a radical centre seat driving position with two passengers set back and either side and was powered by a 6.1-litre V12 engine from BMW that might as well have been passed down directly from the Gods. Game-changer? That doesn’t even come close to describing its impact, even if at the time sales didn’t come easy… The P1 was very different. Rather than a unique side project from the Formula 1 team, it was instead a statement piece for McLaren Automotive, a new road car division still in its infancy. It arrived in 2013 and was a wild-eyed showstopper. It traded the long-legged gait and supple suspension of the F1 for a weaponized hybrid system capable of delivering 903bhp and huge blue flames from its drainpipe exhaust. In Race mode, it lowered by 2-inches and its massive concave rear wing extended into the sky. The P1 was all about aerodynamic downforce, crazed acceleration and a snorting, angry soundtrack that mixed venomous twin-turbocharged V8 with the manic whirr of electric motors. Not so much a car as a force of nature. And now there’s this: The W1. It’s a true successor to the P1 with a similar brief and, on the face of it, it evolves rather than radically reinvents McLaren’s vision for the ultimate hypercar. This is not a criticism. How could it be when the result is this dramatic and has such staggering, other-worldly potential? The W1 has 1258bhp delivered to the rear wheels. It’s capable of 0-124 mph in 5.8-seconds, the quarter mile in 9.6-seconds at 167 mph and produces 2205lbs of downforce at 174 mph. The active aerodynamics – particularly a rear wing that extends way out beyond the rear of the car – are pure performance art and deliver massive aerodynamic efficiency. The result, aside from looking extremely cool, is that the W1 is McLaren’s fastest road car around a racetrack. Ever. Their benchmark circuit is the breath-taking Handling Track at the Nardo proving ground in southern Italy, where the W1 beats their previous benchmark, the flyweight McLaren Senna, by three seconds per lap. Or “a lifetime” as they call it in racing. Maybe two lifetimes! Core to the W1’s performance is the new ‘Aerocell’ carbon fibre tub. With integrated seats and a raised footwell to allow for inboard pushrod-operated front suspension – which in turn gives air a clean path to the huge underbody diffuser – it’s light, stiff, space efficient and has been instrumental in McLaren realising a full ground-effect concept. Just like last year’s F1 cars, which were the fastest ever made. There is also an active front wing and the aforementioned complex rear wing dubbed ‘Active Long Tail’. All of which is very admirable. But the ‘anhedral’ or gullwing doors and the fantastically shirnked-wrapped feel to the minimalist, highly-focussed interior are a pretty good side effect. The W1 feels special. Those fixed seats are perhaps a shade more upright than expected, and the driving position is less obviously racecar than, for example, the Aston Martin Valhalla or Ferrari F80. However, once you’ve adjusted the pedals (they move on a slider) and the delicate, slim-rimmed and alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, there’s an overwhelming sense of purpose. The cabin is so tightly tailored and imparts a sense of lightness and agility before you so much as start the all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which makes 916bhp all on its own and revs to 9200rpm. Reach up to a roof-mounted control panel to find the starter button. Maybe this fighter plane trope is a little corny, but somehow you feel thrilled rather than manipulated. The W1 has a sense of humour as well as all that motorsport-derived sophistication. There’s a short delay, but when the engine does fire it’s instant – as the high-powered hybrid system negates the need for an old-school starter motor. A sharp flare of revs tells you that this engine is hyper-responsive and angry. On some deep level your brain and body have been sent all the signals required to prepare for something new and intense. Ahead of us, an empty Mugello racetrack, so press and hold the blue button next to the red starter to select Race mode. The centre display graphic shows the W1’s transformation in real time as it lowers by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear whilst simultaneously undocking all that active aero goodness. Race mode is not road legal and is geo-locked. You can show your friends and neighbours the aero dance, but it won’t allow you to select a gear to actually drive unless you’re at a circuit. Incidentally, the rocker switches either side of the display binnacle allow further options now: Toggle up the Handling control on the left for Race+ (for F1-spec super smooth tracks) or stick to Race for gnarlier ones. On the right toggle select ‘GP’ for sustained performance over a stint or ‘Sprint’ to unleash all 1258bhp for a time attack. There’s also a DRS and Boost function on the steering wheel. But I guarantee you won’t have the mental capacity to use them… Exit the pitlane, pin the throttle and W1 takes maybe a millisecond or two to gather its might (the gearing stretches to around 60mph in first, nearly 100mph in second, primarily to aid traction), but then lunges at the first turn with incredible ferocity. It instantly feels light, almost like inertia is no longer a thing. McLaren really does prize lightweight engineering, and at 3084lbs (dry) the W1 has a 278lbs advantage over the Ferrari F80. Plus, Ferrari uses figures for cars fitted with every single carbon fibre option. In reality, the gap is probably wider still. The impression of agility and stunning control continues as the track is unravelled at startling pace. The electric motor mounted to the side of the new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission is good for 342bhp and 324lb ft and it boosts any low rev lethargy the new flat-plane crank V8 might have (spoiler alert: It doesn’t appear to have any), so the W1 just feels massively, almost impossibly powerful at any revs. Even so, there’s real reward for wringing it out to 9200rpm and the power curve feels superheated but organic, too. In Race mode the steering – still hydraulically powered – has less assistance and it is noticeably heavier than other McLarens. However, that resistance is welcome as it gives you something to push against and imparts so much information about the front grip level. New Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres with a bigger front footprint than P1 or Senna really help. The front-end feels incredibly secure and the rear-axle follows with perfectly-aligned precision. The whole car feels super-stiff, completely locked into the surface and inspires confidence, but there’s an inherent agility and adjustability that means you’re quickly confident to push at its limits and really impose yourself on the chassis. It’s such a complex car but the driving experience is intuitive, and the driver feels a key contributor rather than just amazed (or terrified) observer, holding on for dear life. Every dynamic ingredient really is shockingly effective and yet has a subtlety and lightness of touch. From that delicious steering to the incredible brakes, the W1 just feels so mission-focussed, so hooked-up. Only the new 8-speed gearbox is a slightly disappointment. It’s fast and punchy, but after the scintillating energy of the Ferrari F80 ’box it feels competent rather than inspired. Other quibbles – it’s okay to quibble when the starting price is $2.1-million before tax and destination charge. Well, that new twin-turbocharged V8 sounds tightly wound and aggressive but if you have a P1 tucked in the garage you’ll miss the snorting, Darth Vader-style soundscape and all the drama that goes with it. Ferrari does this better, too. The F80 sounds deathly dull from the outside but is a riot of turbochargers, electric motors and all sorts of mechanical fury within the cockpit. Even so, the W1 is wildly entertaining on track, and the rear-drive configuration makes it more of a challenge and more satisfying than the F80 when chasing lap times or just sliding around for fun. In the Ferrari, you must second-guess what the front e-axle might do, whereas in the W1 it’s all on you. There are plenty of tools to help, including the ingenious Variable Drift Control, but somehow the W1 is more heroic. Or at least fools you into feeling more heroic – which is surely the point! On the road? Nimble, loaded with feel and sublime response. The ride is noticeably tougher than, say, a 750S but the control is ramped-up too, and with a bit more speed the whole car finds a delicious rhythm. Sport mode for the drivetrain brings some nice turbo whooshes and chirps, but the noise remains high-quality rather than extreme excitement. It is perhaps the one area the W1 feels just a little too tame. Of course, there’s nothing tame about the raw performance… which is genuinely shocking and literally hurts your neck muscles after a few hours. How McLaren has given the W1 such immense traction through just two driven wheels is beyond me. So, is it worthy of that ‘1’? I think so. Perhaps we won’t be talking about $25-million auction results for the W1 in 30 years from now, as we are for the F1. Perhaps it doesn’t quite have the amazing presence and jaw-dropping star quality of the simply gorgeous P1. But it is such an intense experience and the way it marries stunning track performance with delicate poise and entertainment on normal roads is something akin to magic. Maybe not ‘the one’ but definitely a searing, outrageous addition to McLaren’s fiercest family line. Just 399 W1’s will be built and they’re all sold. I’m not surprised at all. View All McLarens For Sale Images: McLaren Automotive

By Khris Bharath – September 11, 2026

Gooding Christie’s to Auction Steve McQueen’s Ferrari 275 NART Spider at Inaugural Rétromobile New York

Following Gooding Christie’s record-breaking Pebble Beach sale at Monterey Car Week, attention now turns to the next major chapter: the inaugural Rétromobile New York Auctions this November, where the auction house will offer a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spider first owned by Hollywood actor Steve McQueen, with a pre-sale estimate of $15 million to $20 million. Chassis 10453 is one of the headline lots among early consignments of the upcoming auction, set to take place at the Javits Center in New York on November 20 and 21 alongside the first North American edition of Rétromobile. Completed in September 1967 and invoiced to Luigi Chinetti Motors, chassis 10453 was sold to McQueen through Hollywood Sport Cars. It left Maranello in Blu Sera, or Evening Blue, making it the first of only two NART Spiders originally finished in that color. McQueen’s ownership was relatively brief, but he left the Ferrari unmistakably his own. He had it repainted in a darker metallic blue, retrimmed the seats with a distinctive stitching pattern, and made several other cosmetic changes. Following an accident on Pacific Coast Highway, he sent the car to Junior Conway, the Los Angeles bodyman associated with the Barris shop and Hollywood’s custom-car scene, for repairs. Conway’s connection to the car would become part of NART Spider history in its own right. Decades later, he was commissioned to restore another example, chassis 10749, specifically because of his earlier work on McQueen’s 10453. By 1971, the Ferrari had passed to J. David Kopf of Tujunga, California. It joined its current owner’s collection in 1986 through Long Island Ferrari dealer Grand Prix SSR and has remained there for the past four decades. Rather than being returned to factory specification, 10453 retains its matching-numbers engine and transaxle, original Scaglietti body, metallic blue finish, and the custom details commissioned during McQueen’s ownership. “Of all the high-profile cars owned by the iconic Steve McQueen, this NART Spider remains the most elusive and mythical.” - David Gooding, President, Gooding Christie’s That preservation is central to what makes this particular NART Spider so compelling. Many important collector cars have undergone restoration, a process that can erase precisely the personal touches that distinguish one example from another. A concours-correct 10453 would still be a beautiful NART Spider, but this one is McQueen’s. The ‘King of Cool’ rarely left his cars exactly as they came. His 1956 Jaguar XKSS, one of just 16 built and now part of the Petersen Automotive Museum collection, was also repainted and retrimmed to his taste. His 250 GT Lusso became another Ferrari closely associated with him, while the 275 GTB/4 that followed the damaged NART Spider was refinished in Chianti Red. The NART Spider emerged from the broader Ferrari 275 family, but owes its existence largely to Luigi Chinetti, one of the most consequential figures in Ferrari’s early history. Chinetti won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times as a driver, including Ferrari’s first outright victory there in 1949, before becoming the marque’s first U.S. importer. He founded the North American Racing Team (NART) in 1958, and NART would go on to field the Ferrari 250 LM that won Le Mans outright in 1965. Chinetti believed there was an American market for an open version of the four-cam 275 GTB/4 and persuaded Ferrari to build one. The original plan called for 25 cars, but the NART Spider’s $14,400 price was substantially higher than the $9,200 asked for a 275 GTB at the time. Demand proved limited, production stopped at just 10 examples, and chassis 10453 was the sixth. Their rarity has since placed the NART Spiders among the most valuable road-going Ferraris. Its place in popular culture extends beyond McQueen. Chassis 09437, the first example built, raced at Sebring before appearing alongside McQueen and Faye Dunaway in The Thomas Crown Affair, a history explored in greater detail by both Petrolicious and Cavallino. “Forever linked to its previous owner, Hollywood legend Steve McQueen, this brilliant Ferrari 275 NART Spider is the ultimate icon, uniting two global legends in a single machine.” - Ferrari historian and author Marcel Massini Chassis 10453 itself appeared at the 1996 Louis Vuitton Classic at the Rockefeller Center and at La Bella Macchina: The Art of Ferrari at the Chrysler Museum of Art in 2003. Beyond those appearances, its public record has remained sufficiently limited that enthusiasts have spent years piecing together its history on FerrariChat. Now, nearly 30 years after it last appeared in Manhattan, chassis 10453 returns to the city, and this time, it will cross a public auction block for the first time. Also among the early Ferrari consignments for Rétromobile New York are a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB, estimated at $2.25 million to $2.5 million, and a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, estimated at $1.4 million to $1.6 million, both featuring Scaglietti coachwork. View Listing See Steve McQueen’s NART Spider in person at Rétromobile New York, which runs November 19 through 22 at the Javits Center. Get your tickets here. Images: Gooding Christie's

By Khris Bharath – August 18, 2026

Gooding Christie's Pebble Beach Auction: Top 10 Results and Highlights

Gooding Christie's concluded its 22nd Pebble Beach Auctions during Monterey Car Week 2026 with more than $159 million in total sales, making it the auction house's highest-grossing sale to date. Held August 14 and 15 as the official auction of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the two-day auction achieved a 94 percent sell-through rate, with 158 lots sold, 28 exceeding $1 million, and an average transaction price of $1,005,681, up 19 percent from the previous year. While RM Sotheby's delivered a record-breaking $380 million sale and Broad Arrow achieved its strongest Monterey performance to date, Gooding Christie's produced the week's defining moment, with the top 10 lots alone generating more than $94 million. Leading the auction was the 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, chassis CSX2300, which hammered for $39,000,000, which works out to $42,905,000 including buyer's premium. Formerly owned by Carroll Shelby himself, the result established new auction records for the most valuable American automobile, the most valuable Shelby, and the highest-priced car ever sold by Gooding Christie's. As previewed by duPont REGISTRY ahead of Monterey in 10 Collector Cars Set to Headline Monterey Car Week 2026 Auctions, the Daytona Coupe represented one of the most anticipated consignments of the week. The final result exceeded the previous American car auction record by more than $20 million and now ranks among the most important collector car sales ever recorded. Second place went to the 1963 Ferrari 250 P, which realized $18,705,000, establishing a new world auction record for the model. Ferrari's first rear mid-engined prototype to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall, the 250 P remains one of Maranello's most historically significant competition cars and reinforced the enduring strength of factory sports racers at the very top of the collector car market. Ferrari continued its commanding presence throughout Monterey with another three cars appearing in Gooding Christie's top 10. A 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione achieved $8,090,000, while the rare 1952 Ferrari 225 Sport 'Tuboscocca' Spider established a new model record at $4,295,000. The lightweight 1966 Ferrari Dino 206 S Berlinetta rounded out the ranking at $2,975,000, adding further momentum to a week that saw Ferrari dominate the upper reaches of the results sheets across RM Sotheby's, Broad Arrow and Mecum. Historic sports racing machinery continued to attract exceptional bidding. A 1959 Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage realized $4,240,000, setting another world record, while the long-tail 1968 Porsche 907 Langheck achieved $3,305,000. From the Brian Brunkhorst Collection, a 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Lungo Spider matched that figure, demonstrating continued demand for significant pre-war automobiles with outstanding provenance. The lone modern representative among the top 10 performers was the 2020 Bugatti Chiron Sport 'Edition Noire', which sold for $3,442,500, while a beautifully restored 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, a model we've called the Blue Chip Benz, also realized $2,975,000. Unlike RM Sotheby's, where modern Ferraris and contemporary hypercars dominated the upper end of the leaderboard, Gooding Christie's strongest results were overwhelmingly driven by historically important collector cars. Eight of the top 10 lots were built before 1970, highlighting the continued premium collectors place on provenance, rarity and genuine period competition history. Attention now turns to Gooding Christie's next major chapter, with the auction house set to debut its inaugural Rétromobile New York sale at the Javits Center in November 2026. View All Supercars & Exotic Cars for Inventory *** Results reflect Gooding Christie's officially reported post-sale figures and include buyer's premium where applicable. 10. 1966 Ferrari Dino 206 S Berlinetta (Lot #31) $2,975,000 9. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing (Lot #52) $2,975,000 8. 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Lungo Spider (Lot #151) $3,305,000 7. 1968 Porsche 907 Langheck (Lot #44) $3,305,000 6. 2020 Bugatti Chiron Sport ‘Edition Noire’ (Lot #63) $3,442,500 5. 1959 Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage (Lot #20) $4,240,000 4. 1952 Ferrari 225 Sport ‘Tuboscocca’ Spider (Lot #130) $4,295,000 3. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione (Lot #135) $8,090,000 2. 1963 Ferrari 250 P (Lot #26) $18,705,000 1. 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe (Lot #39) $42,905,000 Images: Gooding Christie's

Carroll Shelby's Former Cobra Daytona Coupe Sets $42.9 Million World Record to Become America’s Most Valuable Auction Car

By Khris Bharath – August 15, 2026

Carroll Shelby's Former Cobra Daytona Coupe Sells For $42.9 Million

Day two of Monterey Car Week 2026 auctions produced several seven- and eight-figure results, including one of the most consequential in the history of the collector car market. The 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe (Lot #39), chassis CSX2300, hammered for $39,000,000 at Gooding Christie's Pebble Beach Auctions, with a final price of $42,905,000 including Buyer's Premium. The result exceeded its in-excess-of $25,000,000 pre-sale estimate by $14,000,000, or 56 percent, and was among the 10 headline lots we spotlighted ahead of Monterey Car Week 2026. The result establishes three simultaneous world records: the most expensive American car ever sold at public auction, the most expensive Shelby ever sold at public auction, and the most valuable car ever sold by Gooding Christie's. The previous record for the most expensive American car at public auction was the 1935 Duesenberg Model SSJ, sold at Gooding & Company's Pebble Beach auction in 2018 for $22,000,000. CSX2300 exceeds that figure by $17,000,000. Before the Duesenberg, the record belonged to a 1962 Cobra CSX2000, the first Cobra ever built, which reached $13,750,000 at RM Sotheby's Monterey in 2016. One of only six Cobra Daytona Coupes ever built, CSX2300 was built as part of Shelby American's campaign to defeat Ferrari's 250 GTO in international GT racing. In 1965, the Cobra Daytona Coupe helped Shelby American secure the FIA International Championship for GT Manufacturers in the over-2.0-liter GT class, ending Ferrari's dominance in the category. Following the 1965 FIA GT season, CSX2300 made its way to Japan under Tadashi Sakai of Tokyo, becoming the only Daytona Coupe to continue racing beyond Shelby American's factory program, winning outright at the All Japan Suzuka and Diamond Trophy Fuji events in 1966. Carroll Shelby reacquired it through collector Michael Shoen in 1975, retaining it until 1998 before it passed through further American private collections, reaching its current owner in 2005. The car debuted at the 1964 Tour de France Automobile with Bob Bondurant and Jochen Neerpasch and competed at Daytona, Sebring, the Nürburgring, and Reims during the 1965 FIA GT season. In recent decades it has appeared at the Goodwood Revival, Tour Auto, Modena Cento Ore, and last month at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gooding Christie’s (@goodingandcompany) The aerodynamic body was the work of Peter Brock, Shelby American's first design employee, with coachwork executed by Carrozzeria Grandsport of Modena. CSX2300 is finished in Guardsman Blue with white Le Mans stripes, the competition livery it wore during Shelby American's 1965 FIA GT championship season. Powered by a 289-cubic-inch (4.7-liter) Ford V8 fed by four Weber two-barrel carburetors that puts out approximately 385 horsepower, the coupe was designed specifically to address the aerodynamic limitations of the Cobra roadster on Europe's high-speed circuits, with a top speed in excess of 180 miles per hour. This latest result now firmly places CSX2300 fifth among the 10 most expensive cars ever sold at public auction, displacing the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Bianco Speciale, chassis 3729GT, which was acquired by renowned Ferrari collector David Lee for $38,500,000 including Buyer's Premium at Mecum Kissimmee in January 2026. As noted on Petrolicious noted at the time, that result reinforced the 250 GTO's position as one of the most resilient values in the collector car market. CSX2300 has now surpassed that particular result by $4,405,000, becoming the most expensive car sold at any auction in 2026. The week is not over, and the final day of auctions brings Gooding, Mecum and RM Sotheby's final session, and with it another lot that could produce one more eight-figure result within 24 hours. Nick Mason's McLaren F1 GTR, the pop-art liveried example from the Pink Floyd drummer's personal collection, is estimated in excess of $35,000,000. After what CSX2300’s landmark Friday result was, where that estimate lands is one to be seen. Images: @goodingandcompany

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