McLaren F1 – You wait ages for one, and then 21 turn up.

A meeting of 21 McLaren F1s. Click for bigger photo

The McLaren F1 is arguably the greatest car ever built. Many would disagree – Jeremy Clarkson being one – but many see the F1 as the pinnacle of motoring perfection. Light, nimble, surprisingly low-tech in some ways and yet hugely able, it has become a motoring icon since it launched in 1994.

But the McLaren F1 isn’t just desirable, it’s enormously collectable. Just 64 road cars were made. Plus 5 McLaren LMs, a chunk of race-spec GTRs (some of which have been converted to road cars) and the prototypes. A smidge over 100 cars in total.

Which makes the McLaren F1 probably the mostly expensive modern car there is. We’ll talk in USD, as most F1s are sold in USD. Average price is around $2.5 million now. A good one would cost you $1 million more. A very good one – the old Park Lane car – went for $4.5 million in 2008.

And if you move up to that rarity within – the McLaren F1 LM – there are only 5 in existence. Three are with the Sultan of Brunei. One is in the ZAZ museum in Japan and one belongs to Ralph Lauren. It’s almost certain none of these owners would sell. But if they did they would want in excess of $10 million.

Is that Rowan Atkinson's McLaren F1 at the front? (click for bigger photo)

Not only are McLaren F1s rare and collectable, they have proved to be one of the best investments in the world of modern car classics. Which explains why they are (sadly) cosseted and kept in collections – on the whole. There are exceptions. Rowan Atkinson drives his regularly as do a number of other owners, but the F1 is a rare sight. Two together even more so.

So the sight of 21 McLaren F1s gathered last month at McLaren’s HQ in Woking is a sight to behold. The owners had been invited to McLaren to cast their eyes over McLaren’s newest baby – the McLaren MP4-12C - and were invited to bring along their F1s for a get together. One of the owners is a friend of Cars UK and took these pictures. They’re not great quality, but they are great pictures.

And they’re probably the only pictures you’re ever likely to see of 21 McLaren F1s together in one place.

By Cars UK