Eighteen-year-old, but close-to-new, McLaren for sale

4 May, 2016

If you’re like any normal car enthusiast in your 20s or 30s, growing up, you probably idolized the McLaren F1 on video games, such as Gran Turismo. With a single centre seat, New Zealand heritage, and more horsepower than a Pikes Peak Escudo with a stage-four turbo kit, it was one to own. Now, you can buy your very own 1998 example. 

Out of the realms of the affordable, I never thought I would see the day where a vehicle such as this would come up for grabs. Before the internet, I was so separated from such a vehicle, that the only version I could get my hands on involved a plugged in controller, a bag of chips, and an entire weekend. 

Now, though, with the internet connecting every edge of the globe to one monitor, you start to see and hear things that were once only reserved for those in the know. A McLaren F1, in concours condition certainly doesn’t get missed by my watchful eye, and it appears McLaren Special Operations’ Heritage Division is selling one. The most insane part? The mileage. 

This isn’t your flogged out, been-around-the-block example. No, this example is in as-new condition with only 2800 miles on the clock. McLaren has made it clear that the vehicle will be sold as-new, too. What this means for prospective buyers, is that you will receive your 18-year-old McLaren with all the extras as it was released from the factory. 

Unfortunately, McLaren hasn’t listed a price for the McLaren yet, but, if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it — much like myself. Back to playing video games it is! 

Images: McLaren

Put a ring around that

Provenance is a valuable part of a classic car and DKW/Auto Union collectors Brendan and Bobbette Odell have a detailed documented history of a special car in their growing collection of these little two-stroke wonders.
Brendan’s hometown of Pretoria enjoyed more than its fair share of the marque, where their reliability and performance made them popular..
“There used to be a joke going round in South Africa that there were more DKWs in Pretoria per square mile than anywhere else in the world,” Says Brendan.
The Odells redressed that balance a little when they shifted to New Zealand as they brought some of the cars with them.
One of their DKWs also accompanied them to Tonga. Brendan’s green 1959 Auto Union 1000 two-door went with them from South Africa to Tonga from 2010 to 2013 where he worked for the local airline. It then travelled on with them to New Zealand. It is one of just 10 right-hand drive cars of the two-door basic model remaining worldwide.

Stag roars again

The Triumph Stag pictured here has been lovingly restored from what was once, in the owner’s words, “a horrible, terrible job”. Owners Glynn and Alison Gaston hail from Dunedin and along with their grandchildren now enjoy cruising in the Stag after a three-and-a-half-year restoration.
In 2011, Glynn was looking for a classic car to restore. After 21 years with Air New Zealand he was working as a Super Shuttle driver, with four days on and four days off, which gave him the time to take on such a project — something he had always wanted to do.
“I’d looked at quite a few cars over the years. The idea was to restore a car as something to keep me going. I had looked at different MGs and I would have quite liked an Austin Healey or something similar but they were really expensive.
“Then I saw a Stag and I thought, Ah, this is nice. This is what I would like.