McLaren F1 Wins 2024 Villa d'Este Coppa d'Oro, showing that the barrier between youngtimer and classic cars has definitely fallen

The Villa d’Este Coppa d'Oro to the McLaren F1 proves that the barrier between modern and classic cars has definitively fallen. It was bound to happen sooner or later. And when it did, at Villa d’Este during the famous Italian Concorso d’Eleganza, the classic car collecting world had to accept that time marches on and that models, once called Youngtimers with a hint of humor, can finally enter the elite ranks of collectors. The 2024 Coppa d'Oro, a highly coveted award from an event that originated in the 1930s, was awarded to the 1995 McLaren F1 with chassis number 043.

The 1995 McLaren F1 belonging to the British collector of Greek origin, Tony Vassilopoulos, winner of the 2024 Coppa d'Oro at Villa d’Este.

This McLaren, originally designed by Ron Dennis, then head of the company, and built by renowned race car designer Gordon Murray, has roots in the success of McLaren’s Formula 1 endeavors, especially Ayrton Senna’s 1991 World Championship win with McLaren Honda. The car was conceived as a Formula 1 car for the road. Even before noticing its carbon-fiber chassis—a rare feature at the time (shared with the Jaguar XJR and Ferrari F50)—or its BMW V12 engine designed by Paul Rosche, capable of producing 627 horsepower and reaching speeds of 384 km/h, the car's most striking feature is its central driving position. The driver sits ahead of two possible passengers, positioned to their left and right, creating the sensation of driving a single-seater with perfect visibility and a precise sense of the car's dimensions.

Gordon Murray with the various versions of the McLaren F1, of which only 106 units were produced.

Despite its many strengths—not to mention the joke about the central driving position making it difficult to pay tolls or enter paid parking—the car was less commercially successful than expected, with production stopping at just 106 units, 64 of which were street versions. The rest were racing variants, including the LM, GT, and GTR models. Its performance capabilities, featuring not just engine power but also perfect dynamic balance and exceptional aerodynamic efficiency, were never in doubt, especially after its overall victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In 1995, the McLaren F1 achieved overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The success at Villa d’Este for the F1 presented by the British collector of Greek origin, Tony Vassilopoulos, mirrors the car's success at auctions. F1s are incredibly rare and their prices easily surpass 20 million dollars—and that’s not the end. Beautiful, desirable, and recent enough to be used without special difficulties, it’s no surprise they are now considered the GTOs of the 2000s. Congratulations!

The 1995 McLaren F1 poses with the 2024 Villa d’Este Coppa d'Oro. The model’s rarity pushes its value beyond millions of dollars.