McLaren F1

Introduction

McLaren F1 is one of the fastest, most powerful and most expensive road cars ever. It was developed by McLaren Cars Ltd, a subsidiary of one of the world's leading Formula One Teams. The philosophy behind the F1 road car was simple - to be the finest drivers car ever built, or ever likely to be built.That is the opening statement McLaren Auto offers on their officle homepage. To make that statement true, McLaren set out to produce the McLaren F1;a car that would be suitable for everyday use plus weekend trips to the racetrack.

The F1 features an all carbon composite monocoque and body structure. McLaren chose this material because it offers lightweight for maximum speed and strength to protect its drivers.

McLaren F1 Data

Base Price 1,050,000 USD

Power 627 hp
Zero to 60 mph 3.4 s
Zero to 100 mph 7.7 s
Top speed 240 mph

History

Emphasis on the design was to get the highest power to weight ratio possible in a comfortable, road worthy machine. Lightweight F1 composites and metals were used throughout the car. Every detail, such as weight and response of the Kenwood stereo components, were given close attention.

The McLaren F1 was the first production to use a complete carbon fiber chassis and body. Such lightweight construction, combined with the BMW S70/2, 620 horsepower engine, helped the McLaren achieve 240.14mph in its XP5 pre-production trim. The success didn't stop on the road however, with special GTR versions winning Le Mans outright in 1995 and taking two FIA GT World Championships.

After the initial production run 100 cars, McLaren have continued to maintain and add custom appointments to customer cars. Treatments such as new aerodynamic packages and custom interiors have been ordered by customers and McLaren has been happy to comply for right price. One such car is chassis #073 which has recently been sold by Christies Inc.

Technology

To power the car McLaren uses the BMW S70/2 engine, designed and built specifically for the F1. The engine is a 6.1 litre quad-cam, 48-valve V12 which produces no less than 627 bph and a top speed of 231 mph. Some interesting features included on the McLaren F1 are a central driving position which offers space for two passengers and one driver, of course. Some other features are the intelligent brake cooling and Ground-Plane Shear'suspension geometry'.