It is popular knowledge that Elon Musk is a true gear head. The Tesla CEO has been working on revolutionary transportation options for quite a while now — both on Earth and in space. It comes as no surprise that such a highly successful entrepreneur and business magnate owns a pretty little collection of cars. And no, they aren't all Teslas.

We've already written about the impressive car collection in possession of Elon Musk. The ones that might surprise people the most are the Ford Model T (we know, right?) and the Lotus Esprit that Musk paid nearly a million dollars to acquire (in fact, not very surprising considering Musk's net worth).

However, of all these exceptional vehicles that Musk owns, the 1997 McLaren F1 is possibly the most outrageous one. Notably, the McLaren F1 ranks highly among the greatest super cars of all time. Although Musk crashed it in 2000, much to everyone's dismay, the sports car remains one of the best vehicles the famous businessman has had in his lifetime.

Let's see when and how Elon Musk acquired the 1997 McLaren F1, and take a brief overview of this out-of-this-world super car.

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How Elon Musk Gifted The 1997 McLaren F1 To Himself, And What Happened Afterwards

The black 1997 McLaren F1 parked outside.
Via: McLaren

Back in 1999, when Zip2 was sold for $307 million, Elon Musk received $22 million for his 7% share of the company. He was only 27 years old when his first company earned him that much money, and he decided to spend it well — he bought a McLaren F1.

"19 years ago, when my 1st company got bought, I had to decide between buying a house in Palo Alto or a McLaren F1 (best car ever imo). Was no contest. I bought F1 & a small condo that was much cheaper than the car," said Elon Musk on Twitter.

If that's not proof enough that Musk is a real gear head, then we don't know what is. He bought himself one of the fastest production cars in the world at the time, and it all got documented on CNN. Musk was obviously a rising star, having sold his first company for a big amount and driving the 1997 McLaren F1 as a commuter car.

A side view on the 1997 McLaren F1
Via: Flickr

Allegedly, Musk even tested the McLaren F1 to 215 mph on a private track, but we hope he didn't hit that much on official roads when commuting from LA to San Francisco. But still, he did crash the beauty in the year 2000. Some sources claim he was speeding with a friend to show off just how fast the McLaren can go. Fortunately, none of them got hurt, but it pains us to say that his precious McLaren was not of the same luck. The car wasn't even insured!

So, Musk's McLaren experienced an unfortunate destiny with disturbingly low mileage. The vehicle was severely damaged, and Musk just gave up on it and moved on to acquiring new cars for his collection. He even sold it for profit later on.

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A Little Background To One Of The Rarest McLaren F1 Models Today

The 1997 McLaren F1 on auction.
Via: Wikimedia Commons

The question as to why Musk would buy a cheaper condo, so he could acquire the McLaren F1 is easy to answer — 243 mph. Back in the '90s, no other production car could hit the same numbers for 12 years straight. It made Bugatti sweat while trying to defeat it, and that was a show on its own.

Asides the speed, the McLaren F1 was the most innovative super car of its time in other aspects too. Unlike other production cars, it featured a carbon-fiber monocoque and a driver's seat at the center. Not to mention, the F1 was also super light and aggressively designed, achieving top performance while also turning heads on the road.

So, naturally, everyone wanted the McLaren F1, but not many could actually get it. Firstly, this super car was produced from 1992 and 1998 in only 106 units, leaving gobsmacked enthusiasts completely disappointed. Secondly, McLaren F1 always had an almost ridiculous price tag, which is no surprise whatsoever.

A closer look at the 1997 McLaren F1
Via: Wikimedia Commons

Initially, most McLaren F1 models were priced somewhere between $800,000 and $1 million. As time went by, these outrageous classics became more and more expensive. From a data we have from 2021, the priciest McLaren F1 yet was sold for as high as $20 million.

All of this price talk makes us wonder — does Elon Musk repent for crashing his precious super car many years ago? Surely, giants such as Elon Musk don't need a car to sell for profit. But still, owning an exceptional classic like this is a matter of prestige.

Years after selling the crashed 1997 McLaren F1, Elon Musk told the Wheels Magazine that he didn't want people to always talk about him having a high-performance sports car. That was his explanation for ditching the McLaren F1. Whether his opinion changed today, it's hard to say. We must also add, that while Musk no longer possess the McLaren F1, it however remains arguably the most iconic car to have graced his car collection.