• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

McLAREN F1 GTR RACE CAR - INTRODUCTION

Described as ‘one of the greatest GT cars of all time’, the McLaren F1 GTR dominated GT racing from 1995 to 1997.

1995 F1 GTR

The 1995 GTR was designed and produced in just a few months in order to have cars ready for the new GT class. Only lightly modified from the F1 road car it confirmed the design integrity of the F1 by taking 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th places at the Le Mans 24 hour race at the first attempt, as well as the Global GT Championship.

1996 F1 GTR

For 1996 the car was developed further to meet the new GT regulations and had another dominant year, winning both the Global and Japanese National GT championships.

1997 F1 GTR

For 1997, although power was pegged at around 600 bhp, radical weight saving and significant increases in downforce meant that the cars were up to five seconds a lap faster.

Despite starting from the lightweight F1 road car, small weight reductions had been made in both 1995 and 1996. However for 1997, a massive 85kg weight reduction was achieved, for a final weight of 915kg.

The huge increase in downforce was achieved by using the longer nose and tail section from the F1 GT road car together with a much larger and more efficient rear wing.

In what was to be its final year in front line GT racing, the F1 GTR achieved second place in the European Championship. However, the reliability of the car was demonstrated yet again at Le Mans, where the F1 won the GT category and secured 2nd place overall.