McLaren selling classic cars to pay for new hybrid supercar
British sports-car maker McLaren has sold a number of classic cars from its own collection in an attempt to keep its head above water after losing £203 million ($AU365 million) in the first nine months of 2022.
Out with the old and in with the new, British car-maker McLaren has reportedly sold a number of cars from its classic collection to fund upgrades to its upcoming hybrid supercar, the Artura.
According to news agency Bloomberg, the road car division of McLaren recently sold a number of collectible vehicles from its heritage fleet to Mumtalakat Holding Co. – the car-maker’s Bahrain-based owners – to fund “technical upgrades” for its future hybrid supercar, the Artura.
The McLaren Artura was supposed to be in production in October 2020, however the hybrid supercar’s launch was delayed until early 2022.
A McLaren spokesperson told Bloomberg the sale injected an additional £100 million ($AU180 million) into the struggling UK car-maker, although the representative did not detail which cars had been sold – or what technology upgrades the sale will fund.
McLaren’s car collection included more than 50 vehicles at the start of the year, according to company financial reports, which also flagged the possibility some examples could be sold.
“There is a market for these assets, and the Group may determine as appropriate to sell a specific and limited number of these cars to specialist collectors from around the world,” the car-maker said in its 2021 annual report.
In May 2021, McLaren listed a number of classic race cars for auction, including Lewis Hamilton’s 2010 Formula One racer which sold for £4.73 million ($AU8.53 million).
This followed the sale of McLaren's UK headquarters in April 2021, reportedly raising £170 million ($AU306 million today). However, the car-maker will remain a tenant on the site until 2041.
From January to September 2022, Bloomberg reported, McLaren lost £203 million ($AU365 million), compared to a loss of £69 million ($AU124 million) over the same period the year prior.
This financial shortfall comes as the value of McLaren fell from £171 million ($AU308 million) to £87 million ($AU159 million) in 12 months.
In October 2021, McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt announced he would step down after eight years in the role. A former senior executive for Porsche and Ferrari, Michael Leiters, was appointed McLaren CEO in July 2022.