MCLAREN’S ‘STATES OF ENDURANCE’ – OVER 6,000 KM OF SUPERCAR AWESOMENESS ACROSS AMERICA. SHOT INVITE, MCLAREN.
Three cars, eight states, and well over 6,000 km of tarmac – McLaren has just wrapped its States of Endurance road trip, a coast-to-coast celebration of endurance, community, and the 30th anniversary of one of motorsport’s greatest underdog wins: McLaren’s 1995 Le Mans victory. Kicking off in Monterey, California, the convoy wasn’t your average cross-country drive. Behind the wheels of a 750S Coupe, a 750S Spider, and an Artura Spider were McLaren pros Paul Rees, Jack Barlow, and Oliver Webb, who set out to cover more ground than a Le Mans car manages in its 24-hour assault on La Sarthe. By the time the trio rolled into Miami, the odometers showed 6223,333 km - endurance tested, spirit intact, and plenty of tyre rubber left on America’s back roads.
The cars weren’t just showroom spec. Each wore liveries inspired by the dawn, day, and night phases of a 24-hour race, a visual reminder of where this journey began - that rain-soaked day in 1995 when the McLaren F1 GTR shocked the world and won Le Mans outright on its first attempt. Former F1 GTR driver Justin Bell even joined the trip to share war stories from the cockpit, underlining the gravity of that achievement. And while the 1995 race was about surviving 24 punishing hours, the American trip was about proving that McLaren’s racing DNA doesn’t just live on the track. From California’s coastline to Texan plains and Floridian humidity, the cars showed they can deliver endurance in a very different sense: effortless long-haul comfort paired with the kind of speed that would make interstate troopers twitch.
This wasn’t just about the drivers - it was about the fans. At McLaren retailers along the route - Newport Beach, Scottsdale, Dallas, Atlanta, Orlando, and finally Miami - enthusiasts were treated to “Pit Stops.” Think owner convoys, close encounters with the cars, chats with the drivers, and the chance to eyeball rare metal like the 750S Le Mans edition and Project: Endurance, the track weapon that previews McLaren’s return to top-flight endurance racing in 2027. Along the way, the team met characters whose lives embody endurance in other ways – ranchers, astronauts, record-breaking athletes - each with their own tales of pushing human limits. It made the road trip as much about philosophy as horsepower: endurance isn’t just a motorsport metric, it’s a mindset.
The stars of the show – the 750S and Artura Spider - weren’t just along for the ride. The 750S, McLaren’s current flagship supercar, is the lightest and most powerful series-production car the brand has built, a direct heir to the F1’s ethos of no-compromise engineering. The Artura Spider, meanwhile, brought hybrid sophistication to the mix, proving that lightweight electrification doesn’t mean sacrificing performance or drama. Supporting them was kit from TUMI - luggage from the TUMI | McLaren collection strapped into boots and back seats, blending luxury with the same design-driven ethos as the cars they rode in. Even the luggage had its own endurance test, bouncing from Monterey Car Week’s polished lawns to the heat of Dallas highways.
McLaren didn’t just look back on its Le Mans triumph, though; it used the tour to hint at the future. The new McLaren W1, successor to the F1 and P1, is nearing the end of its own gruelling validation programme. If the States of Endurance was a reminder of what the brand has achieved, the W1 will be its next moonshot - a car expected to once again redraw the map of what’s possible from a road-going supercar.
Henrik Wilhelmsmeyer, Chief Commercial Officer at McLaren Automotive, summed it up best: “Endurance racing represents McLaren’s tenacity, and the States of Endurance journey is a perfect intersection of our endurance heritage with the cutting-edge engineering, technologies and uncompromising standards that make our supercars capable of experiences that still resonate with the driver long after the journey ends.”
From Paris in 1995 to Paris, Texas in 2025, McLaren has proven endurance isn’t just about 24 hours in France. It’s about the long game: building cars that connect racing DNA to everyday roads - and making sure that, whether you’re in the pit lane or pulling into a gas station on Route 66, the spirit of McLaren is always ready to go the distance.
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off some of the highlights of the most epic road trip across the States with some really awesome McLaren models: McLaren: States of Endurance | McLaren Automotive
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