What Happened to Elon Musk's McLaren F1?

The McLaren F1 is one of the rarest supercars in the world—the very car that invented the supercar genre as we know it today. How many McLaren F1 models are left? Only 106 were ever produced, and they’re owned by some of the most renowned figures of the 20th and 21st century—from George Harrison to Elon Musk. When Elon Musk sold his first company, Zip2, in 1999 for $22 million, his first major purchase was a $1 million F1 McLaren.

Legend has it that Elon Musk wrecked his uninsured McLaren after just a few months while showing it off to Peter Thiel. So, did Elon Musk ever fix his McLaren? Does Elon Musk still own his McLaren F1? Read on to learn more with McLaren Palm Beach, and then, learn more about the McLaren F1 by checking out our McLaren F1 top speed guide!

Did Elon Musk Ever Fix His McLaren?

Now that you know how many McLaren F1 supercars are left and what happened to Elon Musk’s McLaren F1, take a moment to learn more about Elon Musk’s McLaren F1 saga. In his first year of F1 ownership, Elon put 11,000 miles on the odometer, using his F1 as his primary means of transportation. Then, one afternoon, en route with Peter Thiel to meet with investors to snag some venture capital for his fledgling company, PayPal, Elon hit the gas to show off the F1’s acceleration.

Elon failed to turn on the traction control, and the tremendous force of the acceleration sent the rear wheels flying off the vehicle and the rest of the F1 flying through the air into an embankment. Somehow, neither Peter nor Elon were injured. After they reported the accident, the two future icons hitchhiked the rest of their way to their meeting. But, did Elon Musk ever fix his McLaren? Though he failed to insure it, Musk apparently paid for the repairs out of pocket.

Does Elon Musk Still Own His McLaren?

Elon Musk owned his McLaren F1 until 2007, when he sold it at profit, despite the accident. While Elon loved McLaren F1, as he started Tesla and began innovating the electric supercar segment, he felt that he needed to let go of his collection of cars with combustion engines in order to maintain brand image continuity. So, what happened to Elon Musk’s McLaren F1? We don’t know who the current owner is. However, we do know that Musk’s McLaren caught fire in 2009 and was sent to McLaren Special Operations for a complete rebuild.

Explore the Upcoming McLaren Artura PHEV Near Wellington

As you know, Elon sold his F1 because he felt that owning a gas-powered sports car would conflict with his image as the CEO of Tesla. In 2022, McLaren is turning a new leaf with the introduction of the plug-in hybrid supercar that gets 19 miles of dedicated electric range, 39 MPGe, and 671 hp. Musk’s F1 features 670 hp, so, while it isn’t easy finding an F1, you can enjoy F1-like performance while helping the automotive industry transition to electric performance. We can’t wait to show you what the Artura has to offer when it releases in July! Take a moment to read out its performance specs, and contact us to reserve yours in advance!