VIN: 240-miles from new - McLaren F1 chassis 029
History of chassis 029
Chassis 029 was the 25th McLaren F1 production car built and one of 25 examples completed in 1994.
It was uniquely configured with Creighton Brown paint, a brown driver’s seat with tan leather insert and matching tan leather elsewhere. The dash was upholstered in a light brown alcantara suede. The carpet was brown.
The unusual exterior colour was named after McLaren’s Commercial Director from when the F1 road car programme was conceived.
Creighton Brown had taken up motor racing in the 1970s. After spells as a driver, constructor and entrant, he was asked to run the ICI-backed Chevron Formula 2 team which led to a meeting with Project Four Racing boss, Ron Dennis.
At the end of 1978, Brown joined Dennis at Project Four and, in 1981, the pair took a controlling interest in McLaren.
During Brown’s time at McLaren, the team won seven Constructor’s and eight Driver’s World Championship titles.
Along with Gordon Murray, Ron Dennis and Mansour Ojjeh, Creighton Brown was instrumental in establishing McLaren Cars which led to the revolutionary three-seater F1.
In addition to his role with McLaren, Brown held various management positions and was a successful pig farmer. His Camborough Pigs business bred a particular strain that was marketed worldwide, particularly in Brazil, where he eventually settled after retiring from McLaren in 1992.
Chassis 029 was delivered new to Japan, but the first owner did practically no miles in his new car.
029 appeared for sale with Art Sports in 2001, by which time it was still showing little more than delivery mileage. At the time, it did not find a buyer and returned to the original owner.
The unique Creighton Brown F1 finally left Japan in 2013 when Euro-Classics brokered the sale to a US collector who also mothballed it.
029 was sold in August 2021 by Gooding & Company at their Pebble Beach auction. It was showing just 240 miles from new.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Art Sports - http://www.artsports.co.jp/ and Gooding & Company - https://www.goodingco.com/ courtesy of Mike Maez - https://mikemaez.com/
