#52-The McLaren F1 Supercar
"It would have to be not only the finest sports car the world had ever seen, but also the finest sports car the world was ever going to see." -Ron Dennis
Hope you are having a great week!
Here’s a few interesting things I learned this week while searching for the world’s greatest collectibles.
#1 - Gordon Murray and the McLaren F1
I read an amazing book on Gordon Murray and the creation of the McLaren F1, the greatest supercar of all time.
The book was packed with the complete history, amazing stories, incredible photos, and even the original sketches and notes straight from Gordon Murray's notebook.
“Driving Ambition: The Official Inside Story of the McLaren F1” by author Doug Nye.
Gordon Murray needed a plan - How was he going to make the new McLaren road car better than anything else in existence?
Where do you even start?
He began by researching everything he didn’t like about the great cars that were already out there.
So he rounded up every great supercar to find out exactly what was wrong with each of them.
Then he could simply remove those things he didn’t like from his design for the new McLaren. He performed an, "exorcism."
And then he stumbled on an unlikely car, sitting in the corner of a test track, that would become his benchmark…
#2 - The Amazing 1804 Silver Dollar
They weren't even struck in 1804.
The 1804 Bust Silver Dollar wasn't created until 1835, when 8 coins were struck for gifts to rulers of Asian countries as the United States tried to make trade deals with the East.
Another coin was created by a U.S. Mint employee as an experiment in 1857.
And six more coins were created specially for collectors in 1859.
So that makes 15 known 1804 draped bust silver dollars to exist, with each one coveted by the greatest coin collectors on earth.
And that's only the beginning - but why should you care about the 1804 Draped Bust Silver Dollar?
Because it's called, "The King of American Coins," and collectors have spent lifetimes tracing the whereabouts of each one.
The finest known example sold at auction for $7.8 million.
#3 - Becoming Babe Ruth
The youngster was always in trouble. Tobacco, alcohol, and skipping school.
He was sent to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys in Baltimore, Maryland.
For the next 10 years, George Herman Ruth sometimes attended school, but mostly played ball.
In 1914, he was spotted by Jack Dunn, owner of the Baltimore Orioles minor league baseball team. Ruth signed a contract to play baseball for $600.
That same year, Jack Dunn's team was winning games, but losing money. Dunn had to sell his star players.
Six years before the New York Yankees would famously purchase Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox for $100,000, the Red Sox negotiated an even better deal.
They paid Jack Dunn $10,000 for George Herman "Babe" Ruth in 1914, and almost immediately The Babe would become the best pitcher and hitter in the major leagues.
There are only 10 Babe Ruth Baltimore News rookie cards from 1914. Just a few months ago, the second best condition example sold for $7.2 million, making it the third highest price ever paid for a baseball card at auction.
I read an amazing little book titled, “The Babe Ruth Story,” in the words of Babe Ruth, with the help of sportswriter, Bob Considine.
Check out my episode on Babe Ruth - it’s an amazing tale about how little George Ruth transformed himself into “THE BABE.”
And if you want to learn more about another amazing Yankee legend, I hope you check out my episode on Mickey Mantle, and his unbelievable rookie season of 1951.
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Thanks for reading, and have a great week!