Description
“The ultimate automobile, that won both the BPR series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”
In 1991, McLaren announced their first true road car. It was conceived by Gordon Murray who designed F1 machines for McLaren at the time, while its exterior design was created by Peter Stevens who designed the new shape of the Lotus Esprit. The car was called?the “F1”.
What Gordon aimed to create was the ultimate automobile, a car that would stand the test of time that would not fade 10-20 years ahead; a car that would be representative of the industrial productivity of the late 20th century. Proper aerodynamics were a must, and even the front/rear, left/right weight was thoroughly balanced to perfection.
The monocoque body formed in carbon composites is extremely light, weighing just 180 kg, and the total weight of the car is only 1,140 kg. The engine is a 6.1 L V12 made by BMW motorsports, and produces 627 BHP and 66.4 kgfm torque. It marked an official record speed of 391 km/h in 1998.
With high demands from the racing world, McLaren went on to develop a model with further refined aerodynamics; the F1 GTR. Delivery of this car started in 1994.
From 1995 the McLaren F1 entered the BPR series and won the season, but they also had another significant victory this year in winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In wet conditions that lasted almost all day long, the McLaren held back the open prototypes that were then said to have the advantage, and car #59 (which was practically a McLaren works car), driven by Yannick Dalmas, JJ Lehto and Masanori Sekiya, took the overall win.
