Motoring journal are n’t as unsure as they ought to be about declare their latest cover subject the great supercar of all time . If such a differentiation is possible , however , it likely rests with the McLaren F1 .
In capableness ( 231 - miles per hour top speed ) , imaginative design ( a cardinal driving position ) , and prodigal Leontyne Price ( $ 810,000 ) , the F1 stands alone . Revealed to the world in May 1992 , it was on the route by 1994 , and in the winner ’s circle at LeMans in 1995 . " [ I]ts performance and general ability simply defy imagination , " save diary keeper Paul Frere , a formerFormula 1driver and LeMans achiever .
draw on multiple Formula 1 , CanAm , and Indianapolis victories , the McLaren organization set about creating its first road machine in 1989 . The McLaren F1 was a clean - sheet design , with all components except the taillamps make specifically for it . The guiding principle was efficiency . Thus it is summary , with eubstance panels and foot of featherweight carbon fibre , and most every mechanically skillful constituent of atomic number 13 or magnesium .
BMW Motorsports was contracted to project and ramp up theengine , which McLaren stipulate be naturally aspirated for instant response . With its midships 48 - valve 6.1 - cubic decimeter V-12 and under four Syrian pound perhorsepower , the F1 has the best power - to - free weight proportion ever in a yield road cable car . Manualsteeringandbrakesfurther enhance ascendancy . pocket-sized electric underbelly fans render footing - effect grip that rendersfour - wheel drivesuperfluous , and a low rearward spoiler deploys to countercheck nosedive in toilsome braking .
The driver ’s hind end in the McLaren F1 is personally fitted to each proprietor and is site centrally for optimum control without intrusion from wheel arches or the pain of offset pedals . A rider seat is mounted to each side and slenderly behind . Air conditioning , CD sound system of rules , and the finest leather complete the cabin .
Incredibly , some specifications had to be scale back for LeMans . Even with nonactive aeromechanics and engine - intake restrictions , the 220 - mph GTR competition version took first , third , 4th , and fifth overall against a flock of function - built race driver .
" The McLaren offers engineering and workmanship second to none and performance never attained before in a route railroad car , " concluded Frere in his 1994 Road & Track binding story gentle , without apology , " The Best Ever ! "
To learn more about the McLaren F1 and other sports railroad car , see :
