$45m McLaren sports car convoy rolls in on road trip

A convoy of cars said to be worth $45 million arrived in Wanaka yesterday.

The 30 McLaren sports cars and their owners are on a road trip from Auckland to Queenstown.

When the Otago Daily Times caught up with them at the Edgewater Resort late yesterday afternoon, the owners were off at a lodge in the mountains and had handed the care of their vehicles to a host of groomers, technicians and security staff.

Richard Jeans, of Wana Clean, said he had never  had the pleasure of grooming a McLaren before, and was more used to cleaning Prados and Lexuses.

He and his crew were giving the cars an exterior wash and wax and an interior "vac and wipe".

One of the convoy, a 1994 McLaren F1, is capable of almost 400kmh and is said to be worth about $20million.

The cars were manufactured by McLaren Automotive, in Surrey, England, founded by legendary New Zealand racing car driver and designer Bruce McLaren, who died in 1970.

It was a McLaren that British comedian Rowan Atkinson famously crashed in 2011, his insurance company dishing out around $2million for repairs.

Two cars are understood to have dropped out of the convoy since leaving Auckland, but not through any mishaps.

The cars have been travelling at the  speed limit on the way south but today  will be taken for a spin around Cromwell’s racetrack at speeds well above that.

The cars, some of which have been shipped from overseas for the tour, are due to leave Wanaka early this morning.