The Never-Ending Quest for the El Chapo McLaren F1 and a $2.5 Million Scam

Ed Bolian is the founder of VINWiki and, as per his own words, he considers the infamous El Chapo McLaren F1 the most beautiful car ever made. He’d always dreamed of owning one of the 106 McLaren F1s built, but knows he couldn’t afford it. El Chapo’s, on the other hand, could be something he’d find money for, because it would sell for considerably less because of its connection to the Sinaloa drug cartel – and the implicit risk it could be confiscated the moment he brought it into the U.S.

This McLaren F1, chassis #39, is considered to be one of the ugliest F1s made, as it presents quite an unexpected combination of Brazilian Metallic Brown paint over a red leather interior and gold wheels. It was completed in late 1995 and bought by McLaren CEO Ron Dennis. His wife thought it was so ugly that she wouldn’t allow him to keep it, so he ordered himself another one and got rid of it.

In 1997, chassis #39, made its way to Mexico, after spending a few years in the UK. It was bought by Joaquin Guzman El Chapo’s number one lieutenant, Umberto Ojeda, aka Ricardo Beltran, also referred to as El Robachivas. Sometime in 2000, Ojeda was gunned down in his armored car and killed, and it was then that his family decided to hide the F1 from everyone else, the cartel, the Mexican government, the enemies, mostly because Ojeda never got to tell them where the keys for it were.

There are countless theories regarding the F1’s whereabouts, which we detailed when covering Bolian’s previous video – and attempt at tracking down and buying the car. It is believed it was kept under a tarp in rural Culiacan for a number of years, but that it was eventually driven. In the latest video (see below), Bolian says he’s been in contact with several parties claiming to know for a fact that the F1 is not only still running but that it has actually been made road-legal in Mexico.

For his part, he still believed he could find someone with actual proof of the car’s existence. Imagine his surprise when he was contacted by someone claiming to be Ojeda’s father, saying Ojeda’s daughter had access to the car. The man also said the F1 was for sale, asking $5 million for it. Bolian offered him $2 and they eventually agreed on $2.5 million.

Bolian is a known car collector, but he “obviously” doesn’t have $2.5 million. Still, he explains, he was willing to sell his entire fleet and borrow from whoever would lend him cash, just so he could get his dream car. He even considered shipping it to Europe and driving it there, so that it wouldn’t fall in the hands of the U.S. government once he bought it.

In the end, as you must have guessed, it turned out that the offer for chassis #39 was a scam. The person at the other end of the line soon refused to send him any more photos (though those he did send were blurry and irrelevant), and threatened to cut off all communication if he didn’t get a deposit ASAP. Then, Bolian was invited to Sinaloa to inspect the car himself – as long as he brought the rest of the cash with him.

Bolian caught on the scam attempt early on, but he still had fun with the dude’s attempt, even mocking him for trying to trick him with photos of an F1 kit car and Google pics. Or, to paraphrase one commenter: this is a story of how Bolian didn’t get the car, but his telling of it is more interesting than that of any other guy who gets the car at the end.

The quest for the El Chapo McLaren continues, even after all this. Bolian thinks Ojeda’s son, who is now living in NYC, could offer him a clue as to the whereabouts of the vehicle – if only he’d get back to him. In other words, this treasure hunt doesn’t end here.