What Makes the McLaren F1 an Automotive Legend
The McLaren F1 is the supercar of a lifetime — one I have only had the immense joy of seeing in person at The Amelia some years ago. Whether you are a die-hard McLaren fan or not the F1 is an engineering masterpiece — but what is it about the car that makes it so notable?
The McLaren F1 Basics
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The McLaren F1 is the fastest naturally aspirated road car to date, with impressive performance statistics every step of the way. Designed by Gordon Murray, one of the biggest requests for this car was that it provides performance while remaining naturally aspirated with the goal of dialing in optimal reliability and driver control. So, for this iconic supercar McLaren started with a BMW-based engine — a 6.1-liter V12 (BMW S70/2) which produces 618hp. Combined with a curb weight of just 2,509lbs this light-weight vessel proved to maximize a power-to-weight ratio unlike anything we’ve seen from a road car before.
“Power, pace and peerless quality, the Legendary F1 is a technological masterpiece. The fastest production car of its time. The finest sports car of its generation. For many, the greatest supercar ever built.”
McLaren
But, Murray wasn’t just happy in guaranteeing an ideal driving response from the engine, he also ensured that the driver connects to the car every inch of pavement it crossed, giving it a 6-speed manual transmission. To many, the combination of a naturally aspirated, high horsepower, low weight, manual transmission car came together to create not only an engineering masterpiece but also a true driver’s car.
Performance, Power, Prestige
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Having the fastest top speed for a naturally aspirated road car isn’t the McLaren F1’s only claim to fame — it provides power through and through.
- 0 – 60mph: 3.2 seconds
- 0 – 100mph: 6.3 second
- 0 – 200mph: 28 seconds
What makes it all that much more impressive is that while it may be considered a modern-day supercar, the McLaren F1 was produced in the 1990s, making it far from the manufacturer’s latest models, and it still performs incredibly well against other titans in the car industry like the Bugatti Chiron. On a short production run from 1992 to 1998, only 106 were manufactured, each taking an average of three and a half months from start to finish.
Due to low production numbers, there are only 8 authorized service centers across the world, and, if necessary, McLaren will fly out a specialized technician to owners for service.
How Much is a McLaren F1 Worth?
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While you can find prototypes of the cars on the market on extremely rare occasions, and a few variations of the car that may skew the values slightly due to their rarity, the McLaren F1 on average sells for approximately $20 million — or, at least that’s what one sold for at last year’s Pebble Beach. As you can imagine, these cars don’t often come up for sale or auction, and unless you live near an owner they are almost as rare to see out on the streets.
Over the short production run, there were a handful of variations to the cars that set them apart from the standard McLaren F1, including the 5 prototypes that preceded the sale of the first F1, labeled XP1 through XP5, the McLaren F1 GTR, the McLaren F1 LM (LM standing for Le Mans), the McLaren F1 GT, and a handful of a few very low or one-off production editions that ranged from street legal to track only.
With the McLaren F1, we see not only an engineering marvel or a generous stack of cash but rather a piece of automotive history at its finest point that we will continue to see at some of the most prestigious shows around the world for decades to come.
