MCLAREN'S 750S IN A BESPOKE 3-7-59 THEME IS A VISUAL WONDER.
When McLaren Automotive tasks its McLaren Special Operations side of the business to create something special, they do not disappoint. At the recent Velocity International event, the British automaker revealed a special new and complex look called the 3-7-59 Theme. When you first see it, you’ll likely think it’s a special wrap, but it’s actually a bespoke commemorative paint job, and to make it work, the theme is showcased on the new 750S. Adding a bit of weight to the reveal, the McLaren bosses made sure that McLaren F1 driver, Lando Norris, McLaren IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward, and former McLaren F1 driver Derek Bell, who twice competed at 24 Hours of Le Mans in a McLaren F1 GTR were at the event. It makes even more sense when you find out what the name behind the theme stands for. 3-7-59 is a reference to the race numbers used by the winning McLarens in each of the three Triple Crown victories. The number 3 was on the M16D driven at the 1974 Indy 500 by Johnny Rutherford; the number 7 was on Alain Prost’s Monaco-winning 1984 McLaren MP4/2 and number 59 was on the McLaren F1 GTR that was driven to a Le Mans win in 1995 at the hands of drivers Yannick Dalmas, Masanori Sekiya and JJ Lehto. "As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of McLaren being founded, we of course reflect on our legacy of pushing boundaries, both in motorsport and more recently in supercar and hypercar excellence. The 3-7-59 Theme takes inspiration from both of these areas, as a showcase of extreme performance that pays tribute to our Triple Crown success. The most challenging project ever delivered by McLaren Special Operations is a truly stunning expression of McLaren’s industry-leading paint expertise, on a supercar that sets a new benchmark in its class.” says Michael Leiters, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Automotive. The experts at MSO really put in the work on this new race livery, what you see here could have been done in a few hours with a wrap, but Mclaren doesn’t roll like that. This bespoke paint job took over 1,200 hours to get to what you see here. The intricate design isn’t just something cool to look at, it combines elements of the liveries seen on the 3-7-59 racecars. The Triple Crown story told by the 3-7-59 Theme begins for the driver before they’ve even entered the car.
The key fob features hand-painted artwork that matches the multi-coloured exterior. The front of the car itself takes inspiration from the white and red livery of the McLaren MP4/2, with that car’s ‘7’ race number worn on the bonnet and subtly integrated into the expressive ‘shattered’ interpretation of the F1 car’s livery. The sides are a homage to the 1995 Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 GTR with its grey colour scheme and ‘59’ race number. The bright green dot denotes participation in the GT1 class 24-hour race. The rear ⅓ takes inspiration from the McLaren M16D, matched to the orange colour of the 1974 Indy 500 winner, complete with the number ‘3’ in blue. On the side featuring the M16D’s race number, the orange paint transitions into the F1 GTR’s grey scheme through a swirling chequered flag effect, painted to perfection with incredible attention to detail. Other details in the paintwork feature easter eggs that reference the cars that won the races, the selected years that McLaren has been triumphant at a Triple Crown event, and the evolution of McLaren’s logo from the original McLaren Racing crest to the ‘Speedmark’ used today. On the other side of the car, a twist has been applied using a new technique developed by MSO: a blue splash inspired by the colour of the race number and created using a vector process. This process uses a scanned splash created on canvas as a template for the paint effect, which is then upscaled. The use of four shades of blue within the splash gives it a 3D look, despite remaining completely flush with the surface of the car. Satin Black Vortex wheels and brake calipers in blue, red and Le Mans Gold further reference the three Triple Crown-winning cars. Some exterior detailing is made from silver leaf. The Triple Crown logo design is incorporated into the interior of the car, stitched in McLaren Orange into the headrests and debossed into the centre armrest. The seats feature further Triple Crown art that is etched in graphite Alcantara and is finished with white contrast stitching. The carbon fibre door trim is painted with the same artwork as seen on the seats; there’s a painted 12 o’clock marker on the steering, and the hand-painted extended carbon fibre shift paddles were inspired by the red and white ‘shattered’ paintwork found on the nose of the McLaren MP4/2. The pedals have laser-etched artwork matching some exterior details and are finished with a ceramic coating and white, black and orange Triple Crown stars. The same stars are painted onto the visual carbon fibre door sills. A third hidden detail is found once the doors are open - the car’s dedication plaque, which is a unique and special tribute to McLaren’s success in Formula 1 and the Monaco Grand Prix and features a genuine piece of red and white McLaren Formula 1 car carbon fibre bodywork. The whole theme is awesome and will be seen on six customer cars in the near future.
Take a look at the YouTube video of this new commemorative McLaren livery. The 750S with 3-7-59 is rather cool, it's a tribute to McLaren’s success in winning motorsport’s unofficial ‘Triple Crown’ - the Indianapolis 500, the Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It's not a wrap, it took over 1200 hours to paint, and there will be six customer cars wearing unique variations of the 3-7-59 Theme done by McLaren Special Operations: Introducing the McLaren 750S with 3-7-59 Theme | McLaren Automotive
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