Never-driven McLaren F1 may be one of the most valuable cars for sale today

It’s come as no surprise that the McLaren F1 – one of the world’s fastest and most expensive cars when sold new in the ‘90s – began creeping up in value in the past few years to now become one of the most expensive models you’ll see trade hands.

What did come as a surprise was this just-posted dealer listing for a 1997 F1 in Dandelion Yellow that literally has not been driven on public roads.

The car, the sale of which is being brokered by Britain’s Tom Hartley JNR, shows just 239 km (148 miles) on its odometer, the amount of mileage McLaren itself puts on each car during pre-delivery testing.

It shows just that much because once delivered, the car’s first and so far only owner never drove it, but perfectly preserved it instead, even leaving the factory’s protective wrapping on the seats and interior, and all of the accompanying accessories they ordered it with in the box.

Gallery: The most expensive cars ever sold at auction

The McLaren F1 – chassis #060 of just over 100 built – comes with all of the original documentation, a tool chest, the original tool roll, the full luggage set, an LM-style spare exhaust, a spare GTR-style steering wheel, and the commemorative TAG Heuer watch, all in their original unopened packaging.

A 15,500-km (9,600-mile) McLaren F1, the first sold in the U.S. when new, just crossed the auction block at Bonhams for $15.62 million US, and this car is likely worth much more than that.

It’s highly likely that, like all of the most expensive car sales, we’ll never hear the actual price it sells for. But there is a chance it will eventually surface at an auction some years from now, and that’s when we’ll finally get to a number to this invaluable piece of automotive history.

The Gordon Murray-designed McLaren F1 is inarguably the most iconic supercar of the 1990s. Powered by a 6.1-litre 627-horsepower BMW V12, it still holds the record for fastest naturally aspirated production road car ever built, thanks to its top speed of 390.7 km/h (242.8 mph). It sold for roughly $1 million new.