A TRIBUTE TO THE MCLAREN F1
In light of the fact that McLaren's latest project, the grand Speedtail, pays homage to its forefather, the venerable McLaren F1, we thought we'd do the same.
The Speedtail, which you can read more about here, takes its inspiration from what is generally considered the worlds first hypercar, the Mclaren F1. It was this car, way back in 1998, that set the Guinness World Record for the world's fastest production car – it reached 240.1 mph (386.4 km/h), a record that stood until 2005 when the Koenigsegg CCR came along.
Although it was a low volume production car, a modified race edition of the McLaren F1 took the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans title and won several other races too. Which shouldn't come as a surprise considering it relied heavily on the company's Formula One experience.
The original concept was conceived by Gordon Murray and, the story goes, when he was waiting for a flight home from the Italian Grand Prix in 1988, he drew a sketch of a three-seater sports car and proposed it to Ron Dennis, convincing him to back the project. The idea of the ultimate road car was born and the rest, as they say, is history.
Check out the super insightful video below as evo's Henry Catchpole takes us on a trip through the McLaren F1.