McLaren F1

An entirely new starting point for supercars

Following the 1988 Italian Grand Prix, the McLaren executive team found themselves discussing the company’s future, while waiting for their flight at Milan airport. The conversation turned to building the ultimate sports car. At the time, the supercar market was dominated by exciting, but sometimes temperamental, Italian cars. It was a challenge that proved too tempting to resist. McLaren Automotive Chairman Ron Dennis explains: “The more we discussed it, the more it appealed to me. It would not be easy – which made it interest me even more – and one thing was certain: if McLaren was going to build a sports car, it would have to be not only the finest sports car the world had ever seen, but also the finest sports car the world was ever going to see”.

Total commitment

Developing a car that would outperform its rivals in every significant way would require a totally new approach to both design and construction. When the first plans were submitted to the board, one phrase was highlighted: no compromise. For a decade, the F1 was the fastest supercar ever built, one that only McLaren could have made. It’s still the benchmark by which all other supercars are judged; the ultimate example of no compromise engineering.

Whatever it takes

It takes 10 hours to build the average family car. Each McLaren F1 took three and a half months. That’s because we insisted on levels of hand-built, bespoke construction that were unheard-of, even for high-performance vehicles. To be light enough to meet our targets, we made the toolkit from titanium, and we cut the Connolly leather for the seats in special lightweight 0.7mm sections. Then, because gold was the best possible heat insulation material for the engine bay, we insulated it with 24-carat gold foil.

A car born of obsession

The F1 is a unique driving experience thanks to a suite of pioneering design features, including the use of lightweight carbon composites, never used before on a sports car. Also, a unique central driving position was adopted for optimum visibility and perfect weight balance. The F1 soon reached a higher top speed than the Formula 1 cars that inspired it: 240.1mph was only possible thanks to our entirely uncompromising approach to engineering.