{"id":413208,"date":"2026-04-27T12:51:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T12:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/413208\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T12:51:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T12:51:12","slug":"this-ultra-rare-mclaren-p1-spider-could-fetch-5-million-at-auction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/413208\/","title":{"rendered":"This Ultra-Rare McLaren P1 Spider Could Fetch $5 Million at Auction"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tMcLaren <\/a>never built an open-top version of its iconic P1 model<\/a>. All 375 examples of the 903 hp hybrid were created as closed coupes. In 2013, when the P1 debuted, if you wanted to feel the wind in your hair at 200-plus mph, you had to buy a Porsche 918 Spyder<\/a>, splurge for a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport<\/a>, or wait three years for a Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn 2022, though, British engineering specialist Lanzante transformed the flagship McLaren<\/a> into the P1 Spider. Yet after the designer of the original P1\u2019s exterior, Paul Howse, was called in to mastermind the complex makeover, just five cars were converted. Now, one of those super-rare P1 Spiders is headlining the Miami Auction presented by Bonhams<\/a> on May 3.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThis is one of only five McLaren P1 examples converted to a P1 Spider by Lanzante.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBonhams<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis is a unique and truly exceptional car,\u201d touts Allan Greenfield, head of sale for Bonhams|Cars. \u201cIt\u2019s the second of only five P1 Spiders ever built, has been driven less than 200 miles since the conversion, and shows fewer than 3,000 miles from new.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tEven before its Spider conversion, this P1\u2014number 209 in the production run\u2014was making headlines. Known as \u201cthe Professor,\u201d it was originally sold through McLaren of Philadelphia, and was the only P1 painted a custom shade of metallic cobalt blue named \u201cProfessor 2 Blue,\u201d after the original owner\u2019s former job as a professor at Harvard Business School.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThis McLaren P1 has less than 3,000 miles on it since new.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBonhams<\/p>\n

\n\tIn addition to its unique paintwork, it was commissioned with specially molded carbon-fiber bucket seats trimmed in red leather with Ferrari 365 GTB\/4 Daytona\u2013style ribbed padding. At the request of the owner\u2019s wife, a unique vanity mirror was designed for the passenger side and etched with the words \u201cYou look beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOn top of the P1\u2019s roughly $1.15 million MSRP, the additional options from McLaren Special Operations totaled almost $140,000. After its completion, the P1 was signed by McLaren\u2019s then-boss Ron Dennis and the marque\u2019s design director at the time, Frank Stephenson.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe interior was completely retrimmed in white, weather-resistant leather with orange seat piping and orange seat belts.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBonhams<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Professor\u201d was used by its enthusiast owner\u2014a former venture capitalist before his stint in academia\u2014for more than two years prior to being auctioned by Gooding & Company<\/a> at its 2017 Amelia Island sale, where it sold for a record $2.39 million. The proceeds went to endow a teaching faculty chair at the owner\u2019s former alma mater, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter five years of minimal use by its Ohio-based second steward, the P1 was one of the stars at an RM Sotheby\u2019s auction in 2023, where it sold for $2.095 million. The car\u2019s third and current owner subsequently contacted Lanzante\u2014famous for its take on the P1 GT, P1 LM, and 1995 Le Mans\u2013winning F1 GTR racer\u2014to commission a roofless version after seeing the prototype\u2019s debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed the previous year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe car\u2019s third and current owner contacted Lanzante to commission a roofless version.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBonhams<\/p>\n

\n\tWith the expertise of Howse, Lanzante was able to successfully remove McLaren\u2019s carbon-fiber roof and create new carbon-fiber buttresses containing air intakes to feed the 3.8-liter V-8\u2019s twin turbos. All the while, Lanzante\u2019s engineers and carbon-fiber specialists managed to retain the formidable structural integrity of the P1\u2019s MonoCage chassis. When the structural work was completed, this P1 Spider was painted in historic Gulf racing colors, and its interior was completely retrimmed in white, weather-resistant leather with orange seat piping and orange seat belts.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tPrior to its roofless modification, this McLaren P1 sold for $2.095 million through RM Sotheby\u2019s in 2023.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBonhams<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWith only 375 McLaren P1 coupes ever built, each one is prized by collectors the world over. But with just five P1 Spiders in existence, their collectability is unparalleled,\u201d Greenfield tells Robb Report. \u201cAnd this example, with its iconic color scheme, low mileage, and exceptional provenance, has to be the ultimate.\u201d That sentiment is reflected in the fact that when it crosses the Bonhams auction block, during the weekend of Formula 1\u2019s Miami Grand Prix<\/a>, it\u2019s expected to fetch anywhere from $4 million to $5 million.<\/p>\n

\n\tClick here<\/a> for more photos of this 2015 McLaren P1 Spider.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThis 2015 McLaren P1, converted into a P1 Spider by Lanzante, will be auctioned through Bonhams on May 3.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBonhams<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"McLaren never built an open-top version of its iconic P1 model. All 375 examples of the 903 hp…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":413209,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[48591,85,46,5257,10488,42018,125],"class_list":["post-413208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-bonhams","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-market","tag-mclaren","tag-supercars","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413208"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413208\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/413209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=413208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=413208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}