McLaren F1

For the Formula One team, see McLaren.

McLaren F1
McLaren F1 chassis #063, built in 1997
Overview
ManufacturerMcLaren Cars
Production1992–2000[1][2]
106 produced
AssemblyUnited Kingdom: Woking, England
Designer
Body and chassis
ClassSports car (S)
Body style2-door coupé
LayoutRear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
DoorsButterfly doors
Related
Powertrain
Engine6.1 L (6,064 cc) BMW S70/2 V12
Power output461 kW (618 hp; 627 PS)
650 N⋅m (479 lbf⋅ft) of torque
Transmission6-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,718 mm (107.0 in)
Length4,287 mm (168.8 in)
Width1,820 mm (71.7 in)
Height1,140 mm (44.9 in)
Kerb weight1,140 kg (2,513 lb) dry
1,260 kg (2,778 lb) kerb
Chronology
Successor

The McLaren F1 is a sports car designed and manufactured by British automobile manufacturer McLaren Cars and powered by the BMW S70/2 V12 engine, of which a limited number was produced. The original concept was conceived by Gordon Murray, who successfully convinced Ron Dennis to back the project and hired car designer Peter Stevens to design the exterior and interior of the car. On 31 March 1998, the XP5 prototype with a modified rev limiter set the Guinness World Record for the world's fastest production car, reaching 240.1 mph (386.4 km/h),[6] surpassing the modified Jaguar XJ220's 218.3 mph (351 km/h) record from 1993.

The car features numerous proprietary designs and technologies; it is lighter and has a more streamlined structure than many modern sports cars, despite having one seat more than most similar sports cars, with the driver's seat located in the centre (and slightly forward) of two passengers' seating positions, providing driver visibility superior to that of a conventional seating layout. It was conceived as an exercise in creating what its designers hoped would be considered the ultimate road car. Despite not having been designed as a track machine, a modified race car edition of the vehicle won several races, including the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it faced purpose-built prototype race cars. Production began in 1992 and ended in 1998. In all, 106 cars were manufactured, with some variations in the design.[7]

In 1994, the British car magazine Autocar stated in a road test regarding the F1, "The McLaren F1 is the finest driving machine yet built for the public road." They further stated, "The F1 will be remembered as one of the great events in the history of the car, and it may possibly be the fastest production road car the world will ever see."[8] In 2005, Channel4 placed the car at number one on their list of the 100 greatest cars, calling it "the greatest automotive achievement of all time". In popular culture, the McLaren F1 has earned its spot as 'The greatest automobile ever created' and 'The Most Excellent Sports Car of All Time' amongst a wide variety of car enthusiasts and lovers.[9] Notable past and present McLaren F1 owners include Lewis Hamilton,[10] Elon Musk,[11] Rowan Atkinson,[12] Jay Leno,[13] George Harrison,[14] Ralph Lauren,[15] Nick Mason,[16] and the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah.[17] In the April 2017 issue of Top Gear Magazine, the McLaren F1 was listed as one of the fastest naturally aspirated cars currently available in the world, and in the same league as more modern vehicles such as the Ferrari Enzo and Aston Martin One-77 despite being produced and engineered 10 years prior to the Ferrari Enzo and 17 years prior to the Aston Martin One-77.[18]

  1. ^ "Watch a young Elon Musk take delivery of his McLaren F1 in 1998". 29 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  2. ^ "McLaren F1 I 6.1 MT 627 hp Coupe — specifications".
  3. ^ "The McLaren F1 redefined the very concept of the supercar when it was launched in 1993. Its spiritual successor, the P1™, would do the same 20 years later". McLaren.
  4. ^ Gastelu, Gary (26 October 2018). "The $2.1 million McLaren Speedtail is sold out, even though it's barely street legal". Fox News. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  5. ^ Szymkowski, Sean. "Gordon Murray T50 reveal: Watch the McLaren F1 spiritual successor's debut". Roadshow. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  6. ^ Guinness World Records 2002. Guinness World Records, Limited. 2002. ISBN 978-1-892051-06-6. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  7. ^ "McLaren Automotive – Production". mclarenautomotive.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference AUTOCAR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Conway, Gavin (2005). "100 Greatest Cars". UK: Channel 4. Archived from the original on 29 April 2005. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  10. ^ Zero2Turbo (29 January 2020). "Lewis Hamilton Bought McLaren F1 #044 For R230 Million in 2017". Zero2Turbo. Retrieved 25 July 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Watch a young Elon Musk take delivery of his McLaren F1 hypercar – before he wrecked it". business insider. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  12. ^ Frankel, Andrew (14 December 2015). "Rowan Atkinson sold his McLaren F1 hypercar". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  13. ^ Jay Leno's Garage (26 February 2013). "McLaren F1 Redux – Jay Leno's Garage". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  14. ^ "13 Amazing Cars That Were Owned by the Beatles". Odometer.com. 1994. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  15. ^ Kozak, Graham (14 December 2018). "Ralph Lauren on timeless cars, the joy of driving and why he doesn't think of himself as a collector". Autoweek. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Gallery: inside Nick Mason's toybox". Top Gear. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  17. ^ "The Sultan of Brunei's Supercar Collection: $300,000,000 and Counting". CarBuzz. 19 May 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  18. ^ "The 20 most powerful naturally aspirated supercars". Top Gear. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2021.