April 27, 2024

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Mecum Offers McLaren Speedtail 

This weekend’s Mecum Glendale auction has brought over 2,000 cars to the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ. They’re presenting a wide range of headlining consignments, from a rare 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing in Mittelgrün to a ’68 Yenko Camaro RS/SS that’s one of just 64 Yenko Super Camaros and one of just 11 RS/SS Yenkos made that year.

However, one of the premier consignments I’ll be watching is the 2020 McLaren Speedtail, offered as lot S151. It’s number 87 of the 106 built, and it has just 275 miles from new.

The Speedtail was called “a pure fusion of science and art in automotive form” by McLaren. It’s the first-ever Hyper-GT, as defined by the company, and with a top speed of 250 mph, it’s the fastest roadgoing McLaren built to date. The mid-mounted 4.0-L twin-turbo V8 makes 1,035 hp, run through a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. That power, along with a light carbon fiber aero body delivers world-beating performance.

Key here is just how rare these cars on U.S. shores. This one is here, as per Mecum, on a Show and Display exemption, and the terms of such will need to be followed by the new owner. That’s a limiting factor — only 2,500 miles per year are allowed until the car is 25 years old — but I don’t think it will slow interested bidders. Most owners wouldn’t drive something like this more than 2,500 miles per year anyway.

Several of these have been presented at auction in the US in 2022, and most have not sold. The last one of these sold in the US was at RM Sotheby’s Amelia in 2022, earning $2,700,000. Prior to that, Mecum sold one for $3,000,000 at Kissimmee, and RM Sotheby’s sold another in Monterey in 2021 for $3,140,000. Trending down? Maybe, at least on the surface. That’s a concern with any cutting-edge technology as it begins to age — even if it’s still box-fresh.

But with the trends out of Amelia Island pointing to a rise in values among newer supercars, this one should be interesting to follow as it hits the block this weekend. Mecum’s estimate on the car is $2,600,000 to $2,800,000.

The auction runs through April 1, and you can watch the action live on MotorTrendTV and MotorTrend+ throughout the weekend.

Learn more here.

Images: Mecum Auctions

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