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McLaren F1
During its heyday, the McLaren F1 was the fastest
street-legal production car in existence. The McLaren F1 is also
still the favorite-looking supercar among many enthusiasts.
McLaren
F1 |
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Only 100 of the McLaren F1's were produced
between 1994 to 1998 and a mere 64 of them being the wider
body street version.
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The rest of the produced cars were 7 prototypes, 5 special F1 LMs,
three F1 GTs and 28 F1 GTR road cars.
The McLaren F1 competed in the world GT championships during the
late 90's in both GTR and LM editions, pitting itself against other
legendary cars such as the Lister Storm LM, Ferrari F40 GTR and
Mercedes CLK LM. Using their main design principle of low weight
and high power, the car went on to break speed records and held
it for a long time until 2005 when the Koenigsegg CCR and the Bugatti
Veyron surpassed it's top run.
Background
Development of the McLaren F1 began in 1988, right after McLaren
Cars Ltd.'s domination of the Formula One season, winning 15 out
of 16 races. Starting from a design philosophy of keeping the vehicle
light and packing in as much power as possible, they developed the
original prototypes.
The McLaren F1 debuted in 1992 at the Monaco F1 week. Early demonstrations
showed the car recording impressive performance benchmarks.
Features
The McLaren F1 is a 2-door, 3-seat coupe running on a BMW M 6.1-liter
V12 engine. It produces 627 bhp at 7400 rpm and has a maximum torque
of 651 Nm at 5600 rpm. It can do 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, unheard
of during its time. It further had top speeds of 222 mph at up to
7400 rpm.
The McLaren F1's engine was normally-aspirated to ensure better
control and reliability. The medium and high-speed acceleration
of the F1 is amazing and is highly regarded even to this day.
The McLaren F1 is a very small vehicle weighing only 2500 lbs and
surprisingly fits three people well with the driver smack in the
center, race car style, flanked by two passenger seats on either
side.
The controls of the McLaren F1 are not complicated and after a
little getting used to can fall perfectly to hand. The McLaren F1
features an aerodynamically-sound wraparound windshield and big
bright gauges. The F1 continues to be one of the most gorgeous road
cars ever made since the size, the frame and the details seemed
like a perfect union of innovation and style.
The Drive
Many drivers have talked about the initial intimidation, the gradual
grasping, and later, the driving ease that can be enjoyed with the
McLaren F1.
Steering and brakes are both heavy but are extremely responsive.
The McLaren F1 drives well in curves and straight roadways. The
F1 employs active aerodynamics to maintain stability at high speeds.
During a testing in Namibia in 1993, a test driver wearing street
clothes drove the McLaren F1 at high velocity and purposely hit
a rock, turning the prototype over several times. He came out uninjured.
There is no power steering, no power-assisted brakes, no anti-lock
brakes, no traction control, and no stability control on the McLaren
F1. The car is as basic as is necessary to get the job done and
that is to run fast and furiously.
Best road car ever? Many would unequivocally agree.
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