Someone Just Paid Almost $1 Million For This McLaren 570S Spider

Want to get your hands on a new McLaren 570S Spider? It’ll set you back £164,750 in the UK, or about $200k in the US.

Yet, someone just paid £725,000 for one at auction. That’s nearly $950k at today’s rates, or about the price of a new Senna (if you can get your hands on one). And it’s all going to a good cause.

The special Spider was donated to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which sold it off to the highest bidder at Sir Elton’s home in Berkshire as part of his annual Argento Ball. And every last dime (or ten-pence piece) will go towards the foundation’s campaign to eradicate the disease and help patients.

The bespoke 570S Spider was painted in Blade Silver, with ten-spoke alloys, orange brake calipers, sports exhaust and a special black-leather Sport interior from the By McLaren catalog.

The unnamed winning bidder will also get to tour the factory, including a behind-the-scenes look at the assembly line (not open to the public) in person with founder Bruce McLaren’s daughter, and brand ambassador, Amanda McLaren.

Part of the Sports Series, the 570S is McLaren’s entry-level model. But that term is relative, as it still packs a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 in the middle of a carbon monocoque chassis, sending the driver (and one lucky passenger) rocketing to 62 miles per hour (100 km/h) in 3.2 seconds before topping out (given enough space) at 196 mph (315 km/h). All under the open sky, if the occupants go for the Spider, which features a folding hardtop that drops in just 15 seconds.