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0208 740 4443
The McLaren MP4-12C
McLaren F1: Excellence in Racing Technology
McLaren Automotive designed the McLaren F1 as a racing car. It set a record on March 31,
1998 when it topped the speedometer at 372 km/h (231 mph) while the delimiter was in place and 386.24 km/h (240
mph) after it was taken off.
The McLaren F1 weighs less than many other similar types even though it has three seats instead of two seats like
most other sports cars of similar design. One feature of its unique design is that the driver's seat is not to one
side but rather is in the middle of the front seat though somewhat forward of the passenger seat—this set up
provides better visibility for the driver.
While the vehicle's engine is extremely powerful and geared toward racing, it still has the capability of
ordinary road driving. The F1 was never designed to be a racing model, but the designed was modified to accommodate
racing; the modification created a racing machine that won several racing where it set the pace for a race car that
was produced from 1992 to 1998 with 106 vehicles manufactured in varying designs.
The concept of a sports car with three seats had been on Gordon Murray's mind since he was a youth, but he never
acted upon it until 1988 when he made a drawing of it while he was on a pane home from the Italian Grand Prix.
When he got home he presented his idea to Ron Dennis, and the rest is history.
He knew that McLaren was currently using Honda engines in its F1 Grand Prix vehicles, but Murray wanted to use a
larger engine. He base his design on the Honda NSX, but he wanted the new McLaren F1 to have more power and speed
than the NSX but with the same high quality ride and handling.
He originally tried to convince Honda to take on the task of building a 4.5 litre 12 or 14-volt engine, but when he
couldn't convince them to take on the task, the new car came equipped with a BMW engine instead.
The McLaren F1 was first introduced on May 28, 1992 at The Sporting Club located in Monaco.
When it went into the production phase, nothing but the wing mirror changed from the original prototype.
Since the front of the vehicle had no indicators it was illegal for road driving, so it was necessary to make
changes on the vehicle to accommodate that oversight. When the wing mirrors were added to the design, they also
included a set of indicators, a move that other manufacturers would follow several years after it became part of
the F1 design.
Engine Technology and Specifications
The engine of the F1 is a BMW S70/2. It makes use of gold foil as a heat shield within the exhaust region.
After Honda turned him down, Murray discovered BMW was interested, and the engine Paul Roshe designed for Murray
was a 6.1 litre V12 engine. It operated on 627 horsepower, and the final product had more power than the original
specifications required.
The engine has four valves for every cylinder and includes a chain drive to operate the camshafts.
Suspension
Steve Randle was placed in charge of designing the suspension in the McLaren F1. The agreement was that the
vehicle should provide a comfortable ride yet focus on performance.
At the same time they didn't want the suspension to be of the stiffer and lower standard that is common for racing
cars since that would compromise comfort and increase internal noise and vibration.
They wanted a design that would allow the vehicle to provide the best of both worlds: road and racetrack.
Brakes and Transmission
The brakes on the F1 consist of Brembo cross-drilled discs with callipers of aluminum.
The rear brakes do not support the action of a handbrake, but the system does include a calliper that is controlled
by a computer and performs that essential function.
The standard transmission on the McLaren F1 is a transverse gearbox.
It is a manual six-speed system that is comprised of a carbon triple-plate clutch enclosed within aluminum housing
(later models have magnesium housing).
The flywheel is aluminum and is just big enough to allow transmission from the torque to the engine. This
methodology decreases any potential inertia from rotation and increases the system's responsiveness thus allowing
faster changes in the gears and better feedback from the throttle.
McLaren includes a modem in all standard F1 models. This allows customers to connect remotely to customer care
to obtain information in case the vehicle experiences a failure.
We are actively looking for McClaren F1 to
purchase, call us now if you have
a McLaren for sale
0208 740 4443
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