While $280,000 might seem like a lot to pay for a 20-year-old Porsche Boxster, it’s a bargain compared to the $30 million-plus prices of genuine McLaren F1 LMs.
If you want to own a McLaren F1 but desire Porsche reliability, now is your chance to buy a replica of the supercar with parts from the Boxster convertible.
Listed on eBay UK and located in the Czech Republic, this ‘McLaren F1 LM’ is actually a first-generation Porsche Boxster which has been modified to look like a racing variant of the record-setting 1990s supercar.
Recreations of supercars using relatively affordable sports cars is not a new practice – for years the Toyota MR2 has been turned into an look-alike Ferrari F355, spawning its own cottage industry of enthusiasts dedicated to the practice.
According to the seller, this imitation supercar is “built on a combination of tubular frame and Porsche chassis”, covered in a fibreglass body which can be passed off as a McLaren F1 LM to the untrained eye.
Even a quick peek into the cockpit could fool anyone at a glance, as the car has somehow been modified to replicate the McLaren F1’s central seating position, with passenger seats located on either side of the driver.
The car’s builder also fitted it with a hydraulic front suspension system to lift its front bumper for low objects, such as speed humps and kerbs – a feature normally reserved for true supercars.
However, under its bonnet is the 3.2-litre flat-six engine which powered the 986-generation Porsche Boxster S – not the McLaren F1’s 6.1-litre, BMW-sourced V12.
While the Porsche engine is well regarded in its own right, it doesn’t compare to the sound or 461kW/650Nm outputs which propelled the real McLaren to a production car speed record of 391km/h.
If the eventual buyer of this replica wants to get it one step closer to the F1, the seller can include a BMW V12 and a manual transmission – for an unspecified additional cost.
Drive is sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission, which the car’s builder has modified to include paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.
The seller has listed the car with a “buy it now” price of £150,000 – equivalent to almost $284,000 in Australian currency, or double its $140,500 price when new – and claims it will be sold with “drawing documentation” as well as its original Porsche documents.
That asking price is three-times more than how much the replica last sold for, with a Motor1 report claiming bidding reached £51,000 ($AU96,450) when its previous owner sold it in July 2021.
However, it is a drop in the ocean compared to prices of genuine McLaren F1 LMs, after one example sold for $US19.8 million ($AU30.3 million) at an RM Sotheby’s auction in 2019.
The McLaren F1 LM was produced in 1995 as a celebration of the model’s win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race earlier in the year.
While McLaren only made six F1 LMs – one prototype and five road cars – customers could opt for the Woking factory to convert their ‘standard’ F1s to LM-specification. It is understood the example auctioned by RM Sotheby’s was one of the cars which had been modified to LM spec.
Alternatively, if you want to save even more money, you can buy a Lego McLaren F1 LM for $69.99 – which includes a McLaren Solus GT as a bonus.
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