Monstrous McLaren emerges in Auckland with $3m price tag

McLaren Automotive might not have as long a history as its peers from Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini. But over it’s comparatively short tenure it’s managed to churn out its share of rare and lauded nameplates.

The P1 is an obvious pick – a car once considered part of the unofficial hypercar ‘holy trinity’ alongside the Porsche 918 and Ferrari LaFerrari. The very different Senna and Speedtail underscore the brand’s depth of ability. And then there’s all those Long Tail variants.

But in terms of pinpointing the most hallowed and exclusive modern McLaren money can buy (barring the F1, of course), that honour arguably belongs to the Senna GTR. Curiously enough, there’s one in New Zealand right now. And it’s for sale on Trade Me.

The GTR represents the ultimate form of McLaren’s track-orientated Senna nameplate. Powered by a 627kW version of McLaren’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and paired to GT3-style aero, it is capable of zooming to 100kph in 2.7 seconds, en route to a 352kph top speed.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the GTR is that aero kit. In person, it appears much more vast and significant than the standard Senna, thanks to that enormous wrap-around rear wing and front splitter. And yet, it manages to be 40kg lighter than an ordinary Senna.

Yup, it’s light alright. At 1,188kg dry, the Senna GTR weighs about the same as a Kia Stonic.

Apart from its spicier powertrain and detailed aero, the GTR also gets McLaren’s RaceActive chassis control system, carbon fibre racing buckets, a titanium roll cage, carbon-ceramic brakes, and Pirelli P-Zero Corsa rubber.

Just 75 of these GTRs were produced by McLaren, making it all the more interesting that one made it to New Zealand. This particular example is painted a dark blue metallic, with sellers Winger Maserati & Alfa Romeo stating that it only has test mileage on the clock.

The rare Senna GTR is priced at $3,250,000 – instantly making it one of the most expensive cars in the country.

Given the secretive nature of some of New Zealand’s car collectors, it’s unknown what the most expensive car in the country actually is.

Tony Quinn’s $4.2m Aston Martin Vulcan is sometimes quoted as the country’s priciest. Andrew Bagnell’s 1994 McLaren F1 ‘LM Specification’ would be a strong contender. But, it was sold to a buyer overseas in 2019 for $30,805,500.

Some might be surprised to hear that the V8-powered McLaren Senna GTR does not get stung for a Clean Car Rebate fee. There’s good reason for that; the GTR is also not street legal and cannot be registered.

Whoever grabs the pointy British hypercar will therefore have to take it to a race track to enjoy it.