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Watch a young Elon Musk take delivery of his $1 million McLaren F1 hypercar

Feb 2, 2015, 19:15 IST

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Elon Musk goes through life with a "go big or go home" type of attitude.

So in 1999, Musk decided to reward himself with a new car after selling his startup - Zip2 - for more than $300 million. And not just any car. The greatest car of its time. The $1-million McLaren F1 hypercar. (As seen on Bold Ride.)

In a clip from a CNN Perspectives documentary dating back to 1999, the 28 year-old Musk and then-fiance (now former wife) Justine take delivery of the exotic set of wheels. 

"It's a million dollars for a car," Justine said. "It's decadent."

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"Three years ago, I was showering at the YMCA and sleeping on the office floor," Musk said told the camera. " Now I have a million-dollar car and a quite a few creature comforts."

"There's 62 McLaren F1s in the world," Musk added. "And I will own one of them." 

In its day, the McLaren F1 was unlike anything the world had ever seen. It was designed by and engineered by the legendary duo of Peter Stevens and Gordon Murray - featuring the latest advancements pioneered by the company's success in Formula One motor racing.

Powered by a BMW 6.1-liter 627-horsepower V-12 engine, the hand-built, carbon-fiber hypercar was capable of a mind-bending top speed of more than 240 mph. The F1 boasted some truly unique features, such as a Formula One-inspired central driver's seat - and a 24-karat-gold-lined engine compartment! 

So what ever happened to Musk's McLaren? In a 2012 interview, the Tesla and SpaceX boss told PandoDaily that he used the exotic ride as his daily driver for several years, putting 11,000 miles on the odometer.

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In the same interview, Elon Musk also told the story of crashing his beloved McLaren. In an attempt to show off the capabilities of his hypercar to his PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, Musk spun the McLaren, hit an embankment and sent the car flying "like a discus" three-feet in the air.

Although Musk has now moved on to driving the latest offerings from Tesla, his silver F1 remains the performance benchmark for his company. Last year, Musk proudly touted the Tesla Model S P85D's ability to match the McLaren's 3.2-second 0-60 mph acceleration time. 

Today, the McLaren F1 has grown significantly in value. In may of 2014, the 28th F1 ever built sold for an incredible $10.5 million. 

Here's a short clip from the documentary:

 

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