Car That Doesn’t Even Exist Yet Just Sold for a Record $20.63 Million

The very first S1 LM slated for production by Gordon Murray Special Vehicles went under the hammer this past weekend during the Las Vegas Grand Prix festivities. RM Sotheby’s closed the bidding at an eye-watering $20,630,000. According to Gordon Murray’s company, it’s the highest price ever paid for a brand-new vehicle at a public auction — excluding charity sales.

The show car made its entrance in quintessential Vegas fashion: it arrived at the Wynn hotel suspended from a helicopter, flying several hundred feet above the city’s landmarks before touching down for the sale.

Gordon Murray, the legendary engineer behind the McLaren F1, describes the S1 LM as the culmination of six decades of automotive development. Yet the buyer didn’t acquire a finished car — the production model still has to be built. What the winning bidder does receive is a bespoke spec process personally guided by Murray, participation in prototype testing alongside Gordon Murray Group CEO and three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, and access to the final stages of development.

Created by the brand’s Special Vehicles division, the S1 LM is envisioned as a modern tribute to the iconic McLaren F1 GTR. The carbon-fiber machine will be powered by a naturally aspirated 4.3-liter V12 producing more than 700 horsepower.