To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Monterey event, 15 - 17
August 2019.
Estimate:
$21,000,000 - $23,000,000
- One of only two examples modified by the factory to LM
specifications
- Equipped with unrestricted GTR racing engine and Extra-High
Downforce Kit
- One of 64 road cars built; total of only 106 examples
- Benefits from regular service and attention from McLaren
Special Operations
- Documented with invoices dating to 2007, plus written history
and evaluation by MSO
- Impressively maintained and presented; displaying less than
21,500 km (13,352 miles)
- History's most celebrated modern supercar
The McLaren F1 is that rare supercar that knows no critic. From its
aesthetic appeal to its technical merit and competition record, the
F1 is nothing short of perfect. So seldom achieved, perfection in
design almost always commences with a singular vision, and the F1's
vision belonged to Gordon Murray, the former Brabham Formula 1
designer poached by McLaren in 1987. Murray received a rare dictum
from McLaren boss Ron Dennis that would have prompted great envy
from any other automotive designer: to build the perfect production
sports car, without limitations.
THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION
With input from Dennis and TAG principal (and McLaren co-owner)
Mansour Ojjeh, Murray created one of automotive history's most
successful designs, a perfect harmony of form and function. In true
racing fashion that has since become an industry standard, a
carbon-fiber-and-aluminum honeycomb cell was the basis of a
lightweight monocoque chassis that was mounted with breathtaking
carbon-fiber coachwork, in this case penned by Peter Stevens. The
F1 famously featured a three-seat configuration with center
driver's position, vertical dihedral scissor doors, a roof-placed
engine intake, and distinctive diagonal side-vent diffusers.
Considerable discussion with the manufacturer's F1 racing partner
and engine supplier, Honda, eventually fizzled when McLaren
remained steadfast in the pursuit of a naturally aspirated motor of
larger displacement. BMW was eventually contracted to design and
build a bespoke V-12, which was tuned to develop 627 hp and 479
foot-pounds of torque. Rather than being a continuation of BMW's
concurrent 8 Series-based 12-cylinder motors, this V-12 was a
purpose-built engine that shared more in common with the inline-six
the company had raced so successfully over the years.
McLaren built just 64 production examples of the F1 road car
through 1997, and they have enjoyed favored ownership among the
world's most accomplished and discriminating collectors. Despite
the presence of so much advanced technology in the F1, their owners
generally agree that the design's emphasis on pure road
connectivity makes it particularly rewarding to drive, as the car
lacks anti-lock brakes or modern traction control systems.
While it was designed as a street machine, the F1 was nonetheless
built with specifications worthy of racing, prompting several early
buyers to approach McLaren about factory support for privateer
outings. After initially attempting to dissuade the owners from
competition, Dennis soon decided to join the fray properly, and an
F1 GTR version was developed with enhanced racing
specifications.
Dennis's goal was to win the BPR Championship and take victory in
the ultimate barometer of sports car success, the 24 Hours of Le
Mans. The F1 GTR achieved this rather effortlessly, winning the BPR
Championship three consecutive years from 1995 to 1997, and winning
the 1995 Le Mans outright, along with 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-place
finishes. Results at the Circuit du Sarthe over the following years
proved nearly as successful, with the GTR finishing as high as 4th
in 1996, 2nd in 1997, and 4th in 1998, a testament to its longevity
in the face of more freshly developed competition.
Following the F1's victory at Le Mans in 1995, the manufacturer
launched a short batch of commemorative road-capable cars that were
dubbed the F1 LM. Among other improvements, these cars were
equipped with full-specification, unrestricted GTR racing engines
good for 680 hp, and a High-Downforce Kit (HDK) of aerodynamic
effects consisting of a revised nose with front fender vents and a
huge rear wing.
McLAREN SPECIAL OPERATIONS
In addition to its supreme design and domination in competition,
the F1 is notable for its customer service program. Supervised by a
dedicated division that has since been re-titled under the aegis of
McLaren Special Operations (MSO), this program involves to this day
a fastidious schedule of 18-month maintenance visits for as-needed
service, all tracked by a meticulous multi-point evaluation. For
owners dedicated to completely commit, the expensive program
ensures that each and every F1 will always be optimally maintained
and thoroughly documented, providing an almost unmatched level of
factory service for a production model.
With a total output of 106 examples, including 64 production road
cars, 28 F1 GTR race cars, five F1 LM examples, and two F1 GTs (as
well as seven prototype and development cars), the McLaren F1
boasts a degree of rarity that is commensurate with its other
sterling qualities. It also claims the distinction of being the
world's fastest naturally aspirated production model after setting
a record at the Ehra-Lessien Proving Grounds in Germany in 1998 at
240.14 mph.
CHASSIS NUMBER 018: LE MANS SPECIFICATION
Following completion of the full production run in 1997, McLaren
upgraded two "standard" F1 road cars to LM specifications,
including upgrading the engine to unrestricted 680 hp GTR
specification. Serial no. 073 (which RM Sotheby's also had the
honor of offering for sale) and the featured car, serial no. 018,
were additionally equipped with the Extra-High Downforce Kit that
included (and exceeded) the coachwork effects of the LM examples,
including the front air vents and rear wing. Notably, these two
cars retain their more comfortably outfitted interiors over the
more spartan LM trim.
This F1 was built in 1994, and it was originally finished in
Midnight Blue Pearl over a black interior and dispatched to its
first owner, an enthusiast residing in Japan. In 1999 the F1 was
sold to a collector in Germany, and he returned the car to the
factory in Surrey in 2000 to commission a series of upgrades to LM
specifications.
This work was conducted in two rounds, the first during 2000 and
the second a year later, and also included the installation of the
HDK, a transmission cooler, two additional radiators, and a
modified exhaust system. The air-conditioning was upgraded, a radio
was added to the CD player, the headlamps were changed to
gas-discharge units, and the steering wheel was exchanged for a
14-inch unit. The exterior was refinished in the current livery of
platinum silver metallic, and the interior was re-trimmed with
cream leather highlighted by beige and brown Alcantara, cream
Wilton carpets, and a beige Alcantara headliner. The dampers and
springs were also upgraded to race-spec units and adjusted to their
softest setting for comfortable road use. Finally, the standard
17-inch wheels were replaced by special 18-inch GTR wheels mounted
with Michelin Pilot Sport tires.
As McLaren exists first and foremost as a racing team with the
purpose of being on the cutting edge, it should therefore be
understood that these upgrades are not a deviation from the car's
original specification, but rather an extension of McLaren's design
ethos�which is to say, to be the best of best.
THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PER...for more information please contact the
seller.
