McLaren F1 news - McLaren F1 GTR up for sale - 2009

See more McLaren F1 GTR pics

Having invested heavily in mobile duck islands and swine-flu preventing face masks, Top Gear's coffers are fit to burst.

So we're going to blow it all on this, a 1997 McLaren F1 GTR racer up for sale in Japan.

The F1 GTR is the racing version of the legendary McLaren supercar - the one that gave the Bugatti Veyron a serious run for its money in Abu Dhabi on the telly show last Sunday.

One of only 10 long-tail F1s built for the 1997 FIA GT season, the F1 features BMW's 6.0-litre V12 putting out 600bhp through a sequential gearbox.

The stretched bodywork - a longer nose and tail, as well as a bigger rear wing - was developed to aid downforce, which made the 1997 F1 GTR a fraction slower than the previous year's F1. It still managed to hit 197mph on the Mulsanne Straight, though.

OK, so by 1997 the F1 GTR couldn't quite keep up with the pace of the Mercedes CLK and Porsche 911 racers, but since when did either of those look half so cool in Gulf livery?

If you're thinking of bidding against Top Gear for the F1 GTR, it's being offered for sale in Japan by Wintel.

Now all we need is a racing Veyron to settle the contest for good...