This 2020 McLaren Speedtail Used To Be a Garage Queen, Has a Mileage Limitation in the US

This McLaren Speedtail saw the light of day in 2020, the first and only year of production for all the 106 units the company planned to build. All of them were sold even before McLaren started the production of its supercar, all starting at 2.1 million pounds, which translates to $2.67 million.

The model came with cameras instead of the conventional side mirrors and featured no side-mounted airbags. That is why the Speedtail does not comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) in the United States. However, most customers were from the US.

Legislation permitted the vehicle to be imported into the United States under the Show or Display law, which exempts cars that are historically or technologically significant. But on such cars, there is a mileage limitation imposed: they can’t drive more than 2,500 miles per year. Furthermore, they must be made available for inspection by NHTSA until the vehicle turns 25 years old.

The model that we have right here is finished in bespoke McLaren Special Operations Liquid Blue Silver. The English built this hypercar around a lightweight carbon-fiber tub. It has a three-seat layout, with the driver positioned in the center of the cockpit. The dihedral doors, once they spring open, make the spectacularity of the model instantly skyrocket. The Speedtail rides on ten-spoke Diamond Cut lightweight wheels with Liquid Blue Silver, matching the paintwork of the car.

Meanwhile, the cabin is just as futuristic as the styling of the exterior. It sports a polished Zircon trim, aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber. The seats, headliner, and even door sills are wrapped in two-tone full aniline leather with bespoke stitching and quilting.

This McLaren has been sitting in a garage most of its life

The odometer reads just 64 miles at the time of cataloging, which means that the Speedtail has been quite a garage queen. Inside the cabin, there are still protective film and plastic protecting certain surfaces.

It is quite obvious that the 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8, an evolution of the McLaren P1's engine, with a revised piston design and enhanced cylinder-head cooling, must have been sleeping for quite some time and might be anxious to roar back to life.

When finally switched on, it generates 723 horsepower and works alongside an electric motor that brings in an additional 312 horsepower for a total system output of 1,035 horsepower (1,070 metric horsepower) and 848 lb-ft (1,150 Nm) of torque. Those make the car flash all the way to a top speed of 250 mph (402 kilometers). From 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph), the stopwatch hits 2.9 seconds.

The car comes with all the credentials to achieve those numbers. It’s got an active aerodynamic system that channels the air through reducing drag. And there is a Velocity Mode, which lowers the suspension by 1.4 inches, modifies the aero configuration, and retracts the side-view camera for more stability at high speeds.

Energy is stored in a dielectric-cooled and insulated lithium-ion battery, with a capacity of 1.647 kWh, mounted beneath the fuel tank and weighing 115 pounds. Back in 2020, when McLaren launched the Speedtail, it was the most power-dense battery ever fitted to a production car.

McLaren pre-selected 106 customers for the Speedtail

The British carmaker takes the model as its fastest, most aerodynamic, and technologically advanced McLaren ever made. And it was no short of exclusivity. All 106 customers were pre-selected by McLaren depending on their history with the brand.

Only experts have touched this car so far. Servicing has been exclusively carried out by authorized McLaren centers in West Palm Beach, Florida, since it was delivered new via McLaren - The Collection of Coral Gables in August 2020.

The original sticker price is 2.097 million pounds ($2.672 million at today’s exchange rates). The one who ordered it purchased optional equipment worth 347,750 pounds ($443,197). Only the Thin Ply Technology (TPT) carbon-fiber marble-like trim applied to the steering wheel, switchgear, and headliner control panel cost 50,000 pounds ($63,723).

Now, the almost four-year-old model, which is basically both new and old, will be auctioned off by RM Sotheby’s on January 25, in Phoenix, Arizona. The auction house expects it to sell for anywhere between $2 million and $2.5 million, which is way more than its sticker price, but also an indication that the Speedtail is headed to the exclusive club of collectible hypercars.

And it does make sense, because it is the most advanced street-legal car McLaren has built to date. The model goes with a car cover, a chassis-numbered tool kit, and a factory luggage case.