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Like-new McLaren F1 for sale with just 2,800 miles

If seeing a McLaren F1 for sale is a rarity, seeing one on sale in "Concours condition" with 2,800 miles on the clock is perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime event. But that's what's we have here. This is McLaren F1 number 69 – make your jokes, you children – and if its excellent condition and low miles weren't enough to make you raid your Swiss bank accounts, the fact that McLaren Special Operations' Heritage Division is selling it should. It's also one of the last McLaren F1s ever built, if that wets your whistle. According to the British automaker, chassis 69 was the 60th F1 built in Woking, near the end of the vehicle's production run in 1998. It's a sinister looking car, too. McLaren painted the body Carbon Black with matching 17-inch, magnesium wheels. The cabin doubles down on the devilish looks, with a black-and-red leather driver's seat. We know there's something to be said for McLaren's traditional orange, but we just love the look of this black-on-black beauty. Because these things matter, McLaren is selling this particular F1 with all the goodies the original owner received when they took delivery. That means fitted luggage, a lightweight titanium toolkit and box, all the books and papers (including a "correct numbered LM Edition of the "Driving Ambition" McLaren F1 book"), and of course, the numbered Tag Heuer watch. Essentially, it sounds like whoever purchases this F1 is essentially getting a brand new 18-year-old car. Pricing? Well, the old adage is as true here as it is with any other exotic – if you have to ask, you can't afford it. If, however, you're the lucky sort that has the disposable income to drop seven-figures on this rarity, you can contact McLaren's Special Operations Division for details. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

British automakers take costly precautions as Brexit 'no deal' fears grow

LONDON — Carmakers in Britain have triggered some Brexit contingency plans, such as certifying models in the EU, and are working on redrawing production schedules and stockpiling more parts to defend against any loss of unfettered trade after Brexit. The moves are aimed at ensuring plants, which rely on the just-in-time delivery of tens of thousands of components, can keep operating after Brexit on March 29, but will add costs and bureaucracy which could risk their long-term viability. London and Brussels hope to agree a deal by the end of the year to avoid tariffs and trade barriers, but Prime Minister Theresa May's proposals have been criticized by both Brexiteers, who want a cleaner break from the bloc, and the European Union. McLaren Automotive is looking at having its cars certified by both a British and an EU agency to smooth sales. It is also planning to stockpile critical components and change shipments into the EU around Brexit if there is disruption. "I will sell a little more in January and February and plan to pick the volume up in May and give us a leaner period through the change point," Chief Executive Mike Flewitt told Reuters. BMW, which said last week it would move the annual summer-time shutdown of its British Mini plant next year to April, is looking for lorry parking areas and warehousing on both sides of the channel and is seeking to sign contracts to lease certain locations, a spokesman said. It is also investing in IT systems to handle any new red tape as carmakers estimate tens of thousands of new documents could be needed if tariffs and customs are imposed. The German carmaker's Brexit plans are costing millions of pounds, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. But Honda, which builds 10 percent of Britain's 1.67 million cars at its Swindon plant in southern England, is not in the market to buy "huge amounts of warehousing space," its Europe boss Ian Howells told Reuters. "It's been a very precise calculation or estimation of what components need to be brought in," he said, adding the firm could also alter its output to sell more into the EU at the start of next year. Waste of money? Many British carmakers have also asked suppliers to look into how they would handle delays at ports, executives told Reuters, as thousands of parts, engines and finished models move between Britain and the continent every day.

Seat hatches hot little Ibiza Cupra Concept in Beijing [w/video]

Just about every brand under the Volkswagen Group umbrella has its own performance line these days. Marques like Lamborghini, Bugatti and Porsche may not need them, but Volkswagen has the R line, Audi has the RS range, Skoda offers the vRS models, and Seat badges its under the Cupra name.
It's a nameplate that's become synonymous with Latin-flavored hot hatches in markets around the world, and one of those vital markets is China. Little wonder, then, that Seat chose the Beijing Motor Show to launch its latest Cupra model.
Technically billed as a "concept," even Seat admits the vehicle you see here is pretty darn close to the production model that is scheduled to debut later this year. It starts out with the latest Ibiza hatchback (which itself shares its underpinnings with the Volkswagen Polo) and upgrades it with VW's celebrated 1.4 TSI engine that packs a turbocharger, supercharger and direct injection to produce a solid 180 horsepower. All that juice is driven to the front wheels through an electronic differential and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.