The vehicle was developed in partnership between McLaren and BMW Motorsports, with the latter in charge of providing a V12 engine. On the McLaren side, the project was the famous Gordon Murray, remembered for his contributions to sports motorsport in the 1970s.
The production of this sports car for the streets, although conceived as a racing vehicle, began in 1994. It was necessary to homologate the vehicle in order to be able to take it to the competitions later.
With different stages of progress, 64 specimens were built over a period of almost 4 years. All production was carried out in Britain. Currently the copies are valued above one million dollars.
The design criteria of the McLaren F1 is excellent, placing the pilot in a central position with two companions on his sides but rearward. The central arrangement of the engine and gearbox allows for optimal weight distribution. This is particularly favourable when it comes to manoeuvring the vehicle at high speeds or curves with high lateral acceleration.
As already mentioned, the engine was built by BMW Motorsports. The result was a majestic DOHC V12 of 6,064 cm3 displacement with a power of 627 hp at 7,400 rpm and a maximum torque of 649 Nm at 4,000 rpm.
Top speed: 386 km/h
Weight: 1.288 kg
The McLaren F1 GTR was a resounding success in their first participation, winning first, third and fourth place in the standings. As an official celebration, McLaren built a commemorative version of the victory named “LM”. This orange F1 LM had a more emphatic racing look than the standard street model. It even featured a large spoiler on the back and a front spoiler made of fiber from a racing car.
© Adrián Blanco 2006 — Prohibited the total or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —
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