Mika Häkkinen is no stranger to a McLaren or two, having won the F1 World Drivers’ Championship in both 1998 and 1999 behind the wheel of one. Clearly the Flying Finn missed driving Woking’s finest machinery when he enquired about a Speedtail build slot. “Back in 2018 I was invited to drive the Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 GTR at Laguna Seca for a few laps. What a machine! The central driving position, the sound, the responsiveness — even for a car nearly 25 years old — was amazing.” Mika recalled. “So when factory insiders told me about its successor they were working on, I studied the specs and thought, “Ok, this is not like other supercars, this is going to be very special.” So I made the call, but even with my relationship with McLaren, it wasn’t easy.”
That’s right: despite being a former World Champion, he still had to order using the application form just like everyone else, and he did so right about the same time another famous McLaren fanatic, Rowan Atkinson, was filing his application. In Mika’s words: “Finally they came back and said, “We might be able to supply you a car, but we have Rowan Atkinson asking too, and you’re both VIPs but we only have one slot left. Would you like it?” There was only one answer to that question, and two years later Mika took delivery of his Speedtail, boasting gorgeous Volcano Red paintwork and the Contour Pack in Nerello Red to further accentuate the cutting-edge hypercar’s amazing surfacing.
As for the build slot, Mika’s car bore the chassis number 25 of 106, reflecting the number of fastest laps he achieved in his F1 career. Today the car is offered with just 50km on the clock through Kidston Motor Cars, representing an incredible opportunity to add one of the 21st century’s most jaw-dropping automobiles with an amazing ownership history to your collection. And the best bit? Mika will treat this Speedtail's next custodian to lunch!
