Compared to many supercar manufacturers, McLaren looks a bit down.

In Formula 1, he is on par with Ferrari, and occasionally overtakes Ferrari, but Ferrari's valuation is as high as billions of dollars, and the McLaren Group is far behind.

The multi-billion dollar valuation refers to the valuation in the event that the Fiat Group chooses to separate the Ferrari car manufacturing business, and Ferrari is not currently listed.

If you add the F1 business, brand value, etc., it is even more powerful, McLaren's supercar manufacturing business can only follow Ferrari's share of dust, and Ferrari's profit of more than 25% of the bicycle is even more staggering.

A careful study will find that there are a lot of companies that make supercars, and there are really few that can make money, and the statement that Bugatti sells a car at a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars is really not groundless, from a business point of view, the reason why it is willing to lose money and make money is tantamount to a gimmick, which is used to enhance the influence of the Volkswagen Group itself, and "phenomenal supercars" like Porsche 911 are even more difficult to find for car companies.

Fan Liancheng drank black tea, patiently waiting for Brad, whose sideburns were slightly white, to give an answer, and he was not in a hurry at all.

To ask him why he would try to invest in a supercar manufacturer, you have to talk about Longcheng Group's car-making business.

At present, it is in full swing to get involved in the new energy vehicle manufacturing industry, and while investing in Tesla, it is also laying out the upstream and downstream industrial chain of the battery sector, and billions of dollars have been scattered before and after.

In addition, Fan Liancheng himself still holds a stake in Biatti.

At the beginning, I gambled with the pace of Warren Buffett, and now I have made a lot of profits, earning two or three times, if it were not for the ban on the circulation of the original shares, the highest profit reached about five times, and Fan Liancheng is still optimistic about its development, and has also increased its position through the fund company over one billion yuan, a little loss, and intends to take advantage of the low price to continue to increase the position and lower the entry price.

From this point of view, choosing to invest in a supercar is not abrupt, which is mixed with Fan Liancheng's personal hobby, wanting to be the first supercar manufacturer and F1 team owner in China to eat crabs.

With his total worth of nearly 20 billion US dollars, even if he loses a little, there will be no pressure, and the company's financial situation is quite healthy, which can also invisibly enhance the brand image and influence of Longcheng Group's automobile business.

McLaren's current CEO, James Brad, himself a McLaren shareholder, had previously planned to take out the company's headquarters building for a mortgage, and even thought about cashing out, with little hope for the future.

At this moment, it was like seeing a timely rain, and after checking Fan Liancheng in advance, he knew very well how rich the young Asian billionaire in front of him was, rich enough to be in charge of a company worth tens of billions of dollars, and he was also one of the richest people in Asia.

Having an instant idea that he should try to get some money if possible, and didn't dare to turn out potential investors like Aston Martin, who was in chaos with management, Brad laughed:

"Welcome, our company is looking for qualified investors around the world, and if you've visited the factory, you should know that we at McLaren are trying to break new ground and innovate and develop some of the best products, and that's exactly when we need funding.

Recently, there have been a lot of investors interested in our company, including sovereign foundations of oil-producing countries in the Middle East, and they will not be involved in the specific management, which is an exciting partnership...... So, what's your idea?"

I've been dealing with Chinese people for a long time, and I'm a little uncomfortable with such a straightforward way of saying, and on weekdays, there is a lot of nonsense at the dinner table, mixed with a few important words, which sounds very troublesome.

Brad's last sentence was quite a bit of a wariness, and it fell on Fan Liancheng's ears, clearly wanting to take money, but also unwilling to give up the management of the company, if those sovereign foundations are really that good, how can there be any need to ask for their own ideas?

Having some ideas in an instant, Fan Liancheng diverted the topic and said first:

"My family's real estate company invested in The Shard in London, and earlier in The Langham, and recently I took Sunseeker Yachts privately and helped expand the business in Asia, opening new factories, which led to a huge increase in sales.

I have a lot of money and influence, and the main reason for my interest in McLaren is technology and brand reputation, and if we reach a cooperation between us, we should be able to win both of them. As for how to cooperate, it mainly depends on how much money you need for development, how many shares you can give me, even if it is the overall acquisition of the F1 business and the supercar business, these can be discussed. ”

In the past, he was wealthy, but now he has eaten the assets given by Lao Fan, and he has become more and more generous.

At first glance, McLaren CEO Brad was surprised when he heard about the overall acquisition, and found that he underestimated Fan Liancheng's appetite.

After a short hesitation, he told, "This matter ...... I can't decide, you'll be in the UK in the near future, right, I'll find a time to discuss it with the other shareholders later. You arrived today so suddenly that I can't give you any answer on my own, and a board meeting is needed to discuss it. ”

may involve hundreds of millions of pounds in business, Fan Liancheng didn't think that there would be an answer for a while, and when he bought Shengxi Yacht, he talked about it for more than half a year, and finally won it in one fell swoop.

After a brief exchange, first discuss the cooperation intention, and the specific details should be communicated and discussed.

Continue to visit the design and development center, production line, etc. under the personal leadership of Brad, and also allow Fan Liancheng to test drive the P1 sample car, said that it is a sample of the exhibition car, in fact, the degree of completion has been very high, the interior shape is also a little unpleasant, compared with One77, it is a little less refined and elegant, and the driving experience is very good, but the right driver's seat is not smooth, and I didn't dare to drive too fast.

Fan Liancheng deliberately mentioned that he was still negotiating with Aston Martin, so that Brad was worried about losing potential investors, and made several phone calls during Fan Liancheng's test period, all of which were shareholders and executives, asking for their opinions on financing and selling, and the results obtained without exception showed that they were willing to raise funds, and one shareholder also expressed the idea of transferring equity, accounting for 16.4% of the shares in the F1 business, and the price was 90 million pounds, which was undoubtedly higher, more like asking for a price.

With the tacit approval of the other shareholders, Brad finally dared to let go of his hands and feet and talk seriously.

After returning from the McLaren P1 in Fan Liancheng, he took the initiative to tell him: "There is good news, my partners are interested in raising capital and maybe someone is willing to sell their shares. How about arranging a hotel for you and discussing it seriously for a few days?"

Fan Liancheng shook his head with a smile:

"It's okay, you have a meeting first, it only takes an hour from London, and when it is necessary to have an interview, I will come at any time.

The P1 is cool, and I love the sound of it, but your company may be missing a great interior designer, so it should be a little more distinctive. Auditing and evaluating these processes are necessary processes, so if you decide to cooperate, you can do it......"