McLaren Elva Sits Unsold Despite $1.7 Million Bid, Is This A New Sales Technique?

Bring A Trailer McLaren Elva auction comes to a close with a bid over $1.7 million but didn’t meet its reserve. Is this a new trend?

There seem to be a lot of high-profile auctions coming to an end without hitting their reserve lately. Sure, it’s easy to understand how finding a buyer for a high-ticket car can be quite difficult. However, posting them to a big auction platform has long been a nearly guaranteed way to find yourself a buyer! That being said, it seems like reserves are getting higher and higher, and it seems to be a trend.

For example, this McLaren Elva just came to a close on its Bring A Trailer auction with a high bid over $1.7 million. Despite this bid, the Elva did not meet its reserve. Fair enough! It’s a super exclusive hypercar with only 37 miles on it. That being said, posting an auction with a high reserve price could actually be a great sales technique. Especially considering the fact that the reserve is not visible to the public. Allow us to explain.

A Sneaky Technique to Draw in Buyers, or Just a Difficult Car to Sell?

The McLaren Elva is a stunning supercar that was introduced by McLaren as part of its Ultimate Series. It was designed to provide the ultimate open-top driving experience with a sleek, aerodynamic body and n 804 horsepower V8. However, what really sets the Elva apart is its rarity – only 149 units were produced. It’s an incredibly exclusive and sought-after car. If you ever spot one of these beauties on the road, you’re in for a treat.

The McLaren Elva is truly a masterpiece of automotive engineering and a rare gem that only a select few will ever have the privilege of owning. As such, it’s not something you’d expect to be a quick sell. It’s the kind of car that needs connections, potential buyers, phone calls, messages, etc. But what if you could just cast a wide net and bring all those potential buyers directly to you and skip all the middleman steps entirely?

Setting the reserve prohibitively high gives sellers an opportunity to see legitimate buyers come to the front row. Even if the car doesn’t meet the reserve, it gives sellers an opportunity to reach out to those who did bid directly to try to work out a deal. Recently, there seems to be more and more cars not quite meeting their reserves, with the sellers remarking that they’ll try to work out a deal with the highest bidder. This Elva is no exception.

It is, however, worth noting that the seller of this car, Carrio Motor Cars, does have a history of auctions selling successfully. So, it seems, in this case, it’s just a bit of a coincidence. We’re not pointing fingers at anyone; it’s just a wildly rare car that caught our attention!

Impractical and Expensive, the Elva Isn’t Exactly an Easy Sell

To further suggest this is likely a coincidence in this particular case, it’s worth noting that the high bid did not even reach the Elva’s MSRP of nearly $1.8 million.

Overall, it’s entirely understandable that this car didn’t sell. It’s a massively expensive, exclusive, and rare car. It’s a super niche market. Still, the consistent “reserve not met” auctions make you wonder!

Photos: Bring A Trailer