Information AboutMclaren F1 |
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The McLaren F1 is a Supercar engineered and produced by McLaren Cars , a British company subsidiary of the McLaren Group that, among others, owns the McLaren Mercedes Formula One team. The car features a 6.1-litre 60° V12 BMW engine and it was conceived as an exercise in creating what its designers hoped would be considered the ultimate road car. Only 100 cars were manufactured, 64 of those were street versions, 5 were LMs and the rest were GTR models. Production began in 1994 and ended in 1998 . The McLaren F1 was the fastest "production" car ever built (having achieved a top speed of 240.14 mph) until 2005 when the Koenigsegg CCR recorded a speed of 388 km/h (241 mph), a record which has in turn been broken by the Bugatti Veyron , with a top speed of 407 km/h (253 mph). This however has yet to be confirmed by official agencies, but has been tested in an issue of Car And Driver . THE CONCEPT Chief engineer , Titanium , Gold and Magnesium . The F1 was the first production car to use a carbon-fiber Monocoque . The prototype version of the F1 is based on an Ultima MK3 kit car chassis numbers 12 and 13, the last two MK3s. Number 12 was used to test the gearbox with a Chevy V8 to mimic the torque of the BMW V12, plus various other components like the seats and the brakes. Number 13 was the test of the V12, plus exhaust and cooling system. When McLaren was done with the cars they destroyed both of them to keep away the specialist magazines and because they did not want the car to be associated with "kit cars". THE CAR in detail.]] Gordon Murray originally designed the car as a three-seater in order to place the driver in what he believed to be the optimum position. This created a certain amount of difficulty for the driver when entering or exiting the car, but there were few complaints. Drivers report that visibility to the front and sides is excellent and that the car is tractable for in-town driving. By fitting the car with three seats, Murray created an unusually practical supercar. He also designed in a pair of side-mounted luggage compartments, another unusually practical feature in such an exotic car. Customized luggage to fit into these compartments was also included. Each buyer of a new F1 received the option of a customized TAG-Heuer watch engraved with the car's chassis number and a titanium Facom tool kit in a mechanic's chest. The carbon fibre driver's seat was also molded to fit its owner. Murray refused to fit the car with electronic "driver's aids" like Traction Control or Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) as he believed that these did not make the car any safer but rather interfered with the ability of the skilled driver to control the vehicle. Not everyone agreed with his views on the subject but even the car's critics generally admit that it was exceptionally good to drive even without the electronic assistance. The car also lacks power-assist in both steering and braking - again, to save weight and to provide maximum connection between driver and car. But in reality the car was so light that power-assist steering would have been a pointless addition. However, many reviewers were less favorably disposed to the car's handling at speed. Jeremy Clarkson , among others, has often noted that the McLaren was rather "twitchy" above 200 miles per hour, a marked contrast to the Bugatti Veyron , which has been described as rather less "tossable" than the McLaren, but more secure at the edge of its performance limit. When cornering at the limit where pure mechanical grip is the dominant factor the car has a natural tendency to understeer, however power induced oversteer is easily provoked. The finished product was unusually compact and light for such a powerful production car. The road car is 1140 mm high, 1820 mm wide, 4287 mm long (45 in by 72 in by 169 in) and weighed 1140 kg (2513 lb). For size, compare this to a Toyota MR2 Spyder (one of the few mid-engine cars recently in large-scale production): 1138 mm high, 1694 mm wide, 3886 mm long (45 in by 67 in by 153 in) and weighs 996 kg (2196 lb). For a more appropriate comparison in terms of performance, the 650 hp (485 kW) Ferrari Enzo is 1147 mm high, 2035 mm wide, 4702 mm long (45 in by 80 in by 185 in) and weighs 1370 kg (3020 lb). THE ENGINE Murray insisted that the engine for this car be normally-aspirated to increase reliability and driver control. Turbocharger s and Superchargers increase power but they increase complexity and can decrease reliability as well as the ability of the driver to maintain maximum control of the engine. BMW 's motorsport division custom-built a 6.1 L (6064 cc) 60-degree V12 engine with aluminum alloy block and head, 86 mm x 87 mm bore/stroke, quad overhead camshafts for maximum flexibility of control over the four valves/cylinder and chain drive for the camshafts for maximum reliability. The resulting engine was slightly heavier than Murray had originally specified but also considerably more powerful. The carbon fiber body panels and monocoque required significant heat foil. Approximately 25 g (0.8 ounce) of gold was used in each car. The road version used a compression ratio of 11:1 to produce 627 hp at 7400 rpm. Torque output 479 ft·lbf (650 N·m) at 5600 rpm. Other, more highly tuned, incarnations of the F1 produced up to 680 hp. The engine has a redline and rev limiter at 7500 rpm. There is some disagreement on the topic of power output. Most sources, including McLaren themselves, report output at "627 horsepower". However, it is unclear whether this is metric horsepower (often represented as "PS" from the German '' Pferdestärke '') or imperial Horsepower . Since the McLaren's engine was built by BMW, either unit could have been used - Europe an carmakers tend to measure output in metric horsepower while their British counterparts tend to use Imperial horsepower. Therefore, the German company BMW may have used either measurement for an engine to be delivered to British company McLaren. The Kilowatt (kW) is sometimes used as a reference, as it is unambiguous, but in the case of the McLaren, output in kilowatts has been given as both 461 kW (equivalent to 627 PS or 618 hp) and 468 kW (equivalent to 636 PS or 627 hp) - thus the various quotes of horsepower output given as 618, 627 or 636 horsepower. PERFORMANCE The car may have been relatively small, but its performance was not. With a 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) time of 3.2 seconds and an official top speed of 243 mph (391 km/h), although without Catalytic Converters fitted, the F1 remains one of The Fastest "production" cars ever made. While most car manufacturers rate their cars in terms of raw engine power, in terms of overall performance (acceleration, braking, grip and handling) a car's weight is a more important factor. The power:weight ratio is a better way to quantify performance than the power of the engine. By this measure, the F1 is one of the most powerful production cars ever made. The F1 achieves 550 hp/ton, or just 4 lb/hp, while the Enzo (even with its significantly higher raw output) lags behind the F1 at 481.75 hp/ton (4.6 lb/hp) due to its greater weight.
The Mclaren F1 has a top speed of 231 mph, restricted by the rev limiter at 7500 rpm. The true top speed of the Mclaren F1 was reached in April of 1998 by the five-year-old XP5 prototype. Andy Wallace (racer) piloted it down the 9 km straight at Volkswagen's Ehra test track in Wolfsburg, Germany, setting a new world record of 391.1 km/h (243 mph) at 7800 rpm. As Mario Andretti noted in a comparisson test, the F1 is fully capable of pulling a seventh gear, thus with a higher gear ratio or a seventh gear the Mclaren F1 would probably be able to reach an even greater top speed (something which can also be observed by noticing that the top speed was reached at 7800 RPM while the peak power is reached at 7400 RPM). The title of "world's fastest production road car" is constantly in contention, especially because the term "production car" is not always well defined by the media. Critics of the F1 will point out that it was designed based on a kit car and a BMW engine with a tiny total production run. They will also point out that about the only difference between the F1 and many kit cars who are not considered "production" is that McLaren did the assembly work. Callaway's Sledgehammer Corvette, the road going version of the Porsche /Dauer 962 LeMans car and most recently a version of the 911 Turbo produced by German tuner 9FF have all proven in testing that they're capable of top speeds matching or in excess of 240 mph, although none of them are considered production cars, and hence cannot displace the McLaren's "record". More recently, the Koenigsegg CCR recorded a speed of 388 km/h (241 mph), a record which has in turn been shattered by the Bugatti Veyron, with a top speed of 407 km/h (253 mph). Both of these are considered to be production cars, and have therefore each beaten the McLaren's record. As a sidenote, both the Corvette and 962 as well as the turbocharged version of Saleen's S7 and RUF's Rt 12 can hit 60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds or less, meaning that even where certain cars (the Saleen and RUF) can't break the McLaren's top speed, they are capable of matching or beating its 0-60 time. In response to this, however, designer Gordon Murray has repeatedly stated, usually in his column in Evo Magazine , that the F1 was never meant to break records, but rather perform as the ultimate drivers car. Though it is unclear by what criteria it would be the ultimate drivers car (other than price). VARIANTS The basic roadcar, of which 107 were built, 64 for street use and 43 for racing, saw several different modifications over its production span which were badged as different models. Of the road versions, 21 are reportedly in the United States. One of the street cars remained in McLaren's London showroom for a decade before being offered for sale as new in 2004 . This vehicle was chassis number #065. The showroom, which was on London's luxurious Park Lane, has since closed. The company maintains a database to match up prospective sellers and buyers of the cars. F1 GTR '95 Privately built for race teams in order to compete in the Global GT Endurance series as the result of requests by F1 owners Ray Bellm and Thomas Bscher (who is currently in charge of Bugatti ). This car introduced a modified engine management system that increased power output — however, air-restrictors mandated by racing regulations reduced the power back to 600 hp (447 kW). An unrestricted version of this engine was used in the F1 LM car (see below). The cars extensive modifications included changes to body panels, suspension, aerodynamics and the interior. F1 LM Only five examples (six if you count XP1, the prototype) of this car were built to celebrate the 1995 . The LM was used by CAR Magazine when they broke the world record for 0-100 Mph , doing it in 5.9 seconds. The car also reached a record by doing the 0-100-0 mph in 11.5 seconds being driven by Andy Wallace (Ex Harrods GTR Race Driver). This record has now been broken by the Ultima GTR . The Ultima GTR has the record of 9.8 seconds, the McLaren is in 3rd with 11.5 Seconds. The top speed of the LM is not as high as that of the F1 roadcar, mainly due to the drag created by the rear wing and other parts of the body kit (these are in place to create downforce). The top speed of the LM is 225 mph, as claimed by McLaren Cars Ltd. F1 GTR '96 Further modified from the 95 model, size increased but weight decreased. F1 GTR '97 Weight further reduced, body lengthened and sequential transaxle added. This is often referred to as a McLaren "longtail". A quote taken from the original McLaren F1 Build Schedule: Chassis #27R & #28R 'This spare chassis was used to replace GTR 027R damaged during shakedown tests prior to delivery to the customer. The original 027R chassis was later repaired and plated as 028R' F1 GT The final incarnation of the roadcar with modified body panels and redesigned interior. The three examples of the McLaren F1 GT were created to homologate the '97 GTR for racing. The interior included the same Nardi Steering Wheel used in the F1 Roadcar. This GT model did not include the Rear Wing, as the body width of the car was increased to maximize downforce. OWNERS Famous owners include Jay Leno , Prodigy 's Liam Howlett , Larry Ellison , Wyclef Jean , Elon Musk , Ralph Lauren (who owns three including an LM), Nick Mason and Rowan Atkinson . Former BMW chairman, Bernd Pischetsrieder , has reportedly crashed the vehicle (most likely prototype XP3, which has since been rebuilt and is now owned by Gordon Murray ). The current Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah , is rumored to own 7 McLarens, including both black LMs. Eric Clapton is rumored to have George Harrison 's old F1 roadcar. Current Bugatti president (and former FIA GT champion McLaren driver) Thomas Bscher regularly uses his F1 to commute from his home in Germany to Bugatti's headquarters in France . THE COST Though not officially announced, the price of the McLaren F1 road cars has generally been pegged at $1 million. Premiums of more than $100,000 over sticker price were reportedly charged, thus making the average prices of a Mclaren F1 around $1,250,000. Used McLaren F1s are seldom publicly available. In December 2005, however, a yellow 1994 model was advertised by Silicon Valley Auto Group in Los Gatos, California, on the eBay auction site. Bidding escalated to $1,750,000 before the auction ended; the car did not sell as the auction listing noted: "Reserve Not Met". It was re-listed, but the seller ended the auction early, claiming an error in the listing - a common technique when an item is sold off-auction instead. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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