McLaren dominates RM Sotheby's Auction in Abu Dhabi

Auctions are usually sales, but this was a challenge, past versus present. Gordon Murray versus...Gordon Murray. McLaren versus McLaren. An epic encounter-clash. To understand what happened on 5 December in Abu Dhabi, we need to travel back in time and space to 18 November (also in 2025) in Las Vegas. On that occasion, a Gordon Murray Special Vehicle S1 LM, a modern reinterpretation of the legendary McLaren F1 from the 1990s, was sold for the first time. Only five were made, and this was the last one. The price? $20,630,000. But in Abu Dhabi, the question was whether the original would exceed this figure.

Before we find out, let's take a look at the figures, which are enormous here.

Very few cars, just 30, were offered, but RM Sotheby's seems to have understood the Middle Eastern market. In fact, 83.33% (25 cars) found new owners, compared to last year's already good 73% (which was in Dubai but in the same period). But Abu Dhabi is Abu Dhabi, the capital, the centre of finance and major development strategies, and the value of cars has exploded. The $33 million offered turned into $79,145,000, and the hammer price rose from $27.8 million in 2024 to $84,719,125 this year. Just for comparison, it is the second most important single-day auction ever. (The record is held by RM, which set it just two months ago!). With an average price of $3,388,765 per car, it is a new record for any auction.