In what must be a rather sad day for California's highways, real estate tycoon and supercar collector Manny Khoshbin has sold his one-off McLaren Speedtail Hermes Edition. The hypercar, which is probably the most expensive Speedtail ever made, is now heading to Japan, where its new owner will presumably use it to terrorize the streets of Tokyo at speeds that would make a bullet train look pedestrian. Khoshbin, who has more hypercars than most people have pairs of socks, took delivery of this particular masterpiece back in 2021. It was car number 024 of the 106 Speedtails built (a nod to the 106 F1s produced in the '90s), and if a regular Speedtail wasn't exclusive enough, this one was customized by French fashion house Hermes, the same people who make handbags that cost more than a decent family car. The result is a car that looks like it was designed by someone with impeccable taste and an unlimited budget. It's finished in Hermes Blue, which appears to be a sophisticated shade of teal that probably required the extraction of pigment from some endangered deep-sea creature. The lower door sections feature silver 'H' graphics - subtle enough that most people wouldn't notice, but obvious enough that the sort of people who care about these things would immediately recognize it as something special. Inside, it's a festival of cowhide, with two-tone leather in Vintage Brown and cream that looks like it would be more at home in a billionaire's study than in a car capable of 250 mph. And because nothing says "I have more money than sense" quite like matching luggage, the car comes with a set of bags in the same materials. Under the skin, it's the same hybrid powertrain that all Speedtails get - a combination of petrol and electric propulsion that produces 1,036 horsepower. That's enough to propel the car from 0 to 186 mph in just 12.8 seconds, which is about how long it takes most normal cars to reach 60 mph. Its top speed of 250 mph makes it the fastest McLaren road car ever built, though still shy of the F1's record-setting 240 mph - which it achieved with technology from the early '90s and none of this hybrid nonsense. And that's the thing about the Speedtail. It's undoubtedly impressive, with its elongated tail, active aerodynamics, and central driving position reminiscent of the legendary F1. But it somehow lacks the raw, seat-of-your-pants, "I might die at any moment" feeling that made the F1 so special. It's also missing the visceral, almost violent character of the P1, which would happily try to kill you if you gave it half a chance. The Speedtail is too... refined. Too composed. Too sensible, if a car that costs over $2 million and can outrun a small aircraft can ever be called sensible. It's like McLaren set out to build the ultimate grand tourer rather than the ultimate supercar - something to waft across continents in supreme comfort while still having enough performance to embarrass anything that dares pull alongside at the lights. But perhaps that's what makes the Hermes Edition special. It leans into this grand touring nature with its bespoke interior and matching luggage set. It's not trying to be a racing car for the road; it's trying to be a piece of automotive art that happens to have the performance figures of a rocket ship. We don't know how much the new Japanese owner paid for this unique creation, but given that a standard Speedtail cost around $2.25 million when new, and this is arguably the most special of them all, it's safe to say the figure would make most people's eyes water. Khoshbin is known for buying rare cars, enjoying them for a while, and then selling them on - often at a profit - so this is likely just another shrewd business move for him. For the rest of us, we can only look on in wonder at a world where cars like this change hands like trading cards, and where having a fashion house customize your already-exclusive hypercar is just another Tuesday. And while the Speedtail Hermes Edition might lack the sheer lunacy of its predecessors, it remains a remarkable achievement - a 250 mph drawing room that just happens to have wheels. One can only hope its new owner in Japan appreciates what they've got. And drives it, rather than keeping it hidden away in a climate-controlled garage, which would be the automotive equivalent of putting Mona Lisa in a dark cupboard.
