McLaren continues to remain a favorite among celebrities who like a fast car with heritage.
Bruce McLaren, the infamous racer, established this company back in 1963. He also started competing in the Grand Prix ever since. Bruce first came to prominence after launching the McLaren F1, whose production lasted from 1992 until 1998. During its prime, the McLaren F1 was the fastest car globally and is still listed under the Greatest 100 Cars Ever Produced. The automaker also entered the world of Formula One racing and had a successful run on the race circuit with Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel. Through its innovations and rich history of success, McLaren remains an iconic brand that has stood the test of time.
McLaren’s luxurious features and powerful performance has made it a popular choice among CEOs and Hollywood Celebrities. A car whose worth continues to increase over time, let’s look at the celebrities who own expensive McLarens.
8th Elon Musk
In 1999, Elon Musk sold his company Zip2 to Compaq for a whopping $307 million and earned $22 million from the sellout. After the sale, Musk had commented that only 64 McLarens in the world were made, and he would like to own one of them. The same year, he paid $1 million to own a silver 1999 McLaren F1 equipped with a powerful V12 engine and offered an output of 618 HP.
7 Jay Leno
Jay Leno is one of the biggest celebrity gearheads who collects vintage cars. His most prized possession in the garage is a 1994 McLaren F1, his favorite car in the collection, as reported by Hot Cars. Leno had purchased the 1994 iteration later when it was valued at around $13 million. Today, the same car has increased its worth to a whopping $23 million. The McLaren F1 is equipped with a three-seat configuration that allows the driver to sit in the center position and was the fastest production car ever made when it was first released.
6 Beyonce
5 KanyeWest
In 2011, Kanye West arrived in style at the Cannes Film Festival, riding an ultra-rare Mercedes McLaren SLR Stirling Moss Edition. According to Engine Authority, only 75 units of the SLR Stirling Moss Edition were manufactured by the automaker. The 650 HP speedster had a starting price of $1 million when it was launched in 2008; however, it is impossible to find the edition for sale today.
4 The Weeknd
Fans first got a glimpse at The Weeknd’s stunning car collection when he featured his garage in the music video for his blockbuster hit single Starboy in 2016. Along with mentioning McLaren P1 in the first verse of his song, he is seen driving off in the P1 during the end of the video. His car costs upwards of $1.2 million and comes with a 131Kw electric motor and twin-turbocharged V8 that generates a powerful 903 HP and reaches 60 MPH in just 2.8 seconds.
3 Ralph Lauren
In 1995, Gordon Murray designed a groundbreaking F1 GTR that unexpectedly ruled at the Le Mans that year. Due to the success, McLaren manufactured five unique McLaren F1 in 1996 and added the term LM for Le Mans. These five McLaren F1 LM were designed in papaya orange shade to honor Bruce McLaren, who used the same shade to color his race cars. As mentioned by road and trackthree of the F1 LM cars are in Brunei, one of the cars is in a Japanese museum, and Ralph Lauren owns the final car.
2 Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay is known for his culinary skills, but not many people know that he is an avid car collector with a fleet of extraordinary cars. Ramsay purchased a McLaren Senna in 2016 equipped with a mighty 6.75-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that produces 789 HP. The car was named Senna after Bruce McLaren’s son Ayrton Senna, a three-time F1 Champion. The celebrity chef owns the model in the shade of black with gold details and splashed $1.1 million to purchase it.
1 David Beckham
David Beckham has a great taste in cars, and he purchased his first McLaren in 2013, an MP4-12C Spider. In 2017, he upgraded to a McLaren 720 S that costs upwards of $301,500. A lightweight and easy-to-drive vehicle, the 720 S has only been in production since 2010 but has already given tough competition to its opposition. As noted by GQit produces 700 HP with its 4.0-liter V8 that reaches the top speed of 212 MPH in less than three seconds.
In their collection, other notable celebrities with McLarens include William James, popularly known as Will.I.Am, Rowan Atkinson, and Nick Mason. Also, owning vintage models from the 90s has proved to be a great investment as they have fetched prices upwards of $20 million.
sources: Hot Cars, Engine Authority, road and track, GQ
