McLaren F1

For the Formula One team, see McLaren

McLaren F1
Overview
Manufacturer	McLaren Automotive
Production	1994–1998 (100 produced)
Designer	Gordon Murray & Peter Stevens
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door 3-seat coupe
Powertrain
Engine	60° 6.1 L V12
Dimensions
Length	4287 mm (169 in)
Width	1820 mm (72 in)
Height	1140 mm (45 in)
Curb weight	1140 kg (2513 lb)

The McLaren F1 was formerly the fastest street legal production car in the world for over a decade from 1994 to 2005. It was engineered and produced by McLaren Automotive, a subsidiary of the British McLaren Group that, among others, owns the McLaren Mercedes Formula One team. The car features a 6.1-litre 60° BMW S70 V12 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, 2 were GTs and the rest were GTR racing models. Production began in 1993 and ended in 1998.

In terms of top speed, the McLaren F1 was, until 2005, the fastest production car ever built (having achieved a top speed of 391.2 km/h (243.08 mph)), eclipsing the Jaguar XJ220, however since then (as of 2007) three cars have broken this speed record.

Concept

Chief engineer Gordon Murray's design concept was a common one among designers of high-performance cars: low weight and high power. This was achieved through use of high-tech and expensive materials like carbon fiber, titanium, gold and magnesium. The F1 was one of the first production cars to use a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis.

The three seat setup inside an F1.

The idea was first conceived when Murray was waiting for a flight home back from the fateful Italian Grand Prix in 1988; Murray drew a sketch of a three seater supercar and proposed it to Ron Dennis. Later, a pair of Ultima MK3 kit cars, chassis numbers 12 and 13, "Albert" and "Edward", the last two MK3s, were used as "mules" to test various components and concepts before the first cars were built. Number 12 was used to test the gearbox with a 7.4 litre Chevrolet 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 was first unveiled at a launch show, 28 May 1991, at The Sporting Club in Monaco. The production version remained the same as the original prototype (XP1) except for the wing mirror which, on the XP1, was mounted at the top of the A-pillar. This car was deemed not road legal as it had no turn signal indicators at the front; McLaren was forced to make changes on the car as a result (some cars, including Ralph Lauren's, were sent back to McLaren and fitted with the prototype mirrors). The original wing mirrors also incorporated a pair of indicators which other car manufacturers would adopt several years later.

The car's safety levels were first proved when during a testing in Namibia in April 1993, a test driver wearing just shorts and t-shirt hit a rock and rolled the first prototype car several times. The driver managed to escape unscathed. Later in the year, the second prototype (XP2) was especially built for crashtesting and passed with the front wheel arch untouched.

Engine

The McLaren F1's engine compartment contains the mid-mounted BMW S70/2 engine and uses gold foil as a heat shield in the exhaust compartment.

Gordon Murray insisted that the engine for this car be normally-aspirated to increase reliability and driver control. Turbochargers 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. Murray initially approached Honda for an NA powerplant with 550BHP (400 kW), derived from the Formula 1 powerplant in the then-dominating McLaren/Honda cars.

When Honda refused, Isuzu, then planning an entry into Formula 1, had a 3.5 V12 engine being tested in a Lotus chassis. The company was very interested in having the engine fitted into the F1. However, the designers wanted an engine with a proven design and a racing pedigree.

BMW took an interest, and the motorsport division BMW M ended up building Murray a custom-built 6.1 L (6064 cc) 60-degree V12 based on BMW's M70/S2 engine with an aluminium alloy block and head, 86 mm x 87 mm bore/stroke, quad overhead camshafts for maximum flexibility of control over the four valves per cylinder and a chain drive for the camshafts for maximum reliability. At 266 kg, the resulting engine was slightly heavier than Murray's original maximum specification weight of 250 kg but was also considerably more powerful than he had specified, which effectively canceled out the weight gain in a straight line; although any extra weight will i.a. affect braking, cornering capability and increase the overall stress on the system, this does not happen to a very significant degree with a weight increase of this modest size.

The carbon fiber body panels and monocoque required significant heat insulation in the engine compartment, so Murray's solution was to line the engine bay with a highly efficient heat-reflector: gold 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 horsepower (461 kW) at 7400 rpm—considerably more than Murray's specification of 550 horsepower (400 kW). Torque output of 480 ft·lb (651 N·m) at 5600 rpm. Other, more highly tuned, incarnations of the F1 produced up to 692 hp (509 kW). The engine has a red line and rev limiter at 7500 rpm.

The cam carriers, covers, oil sump, dry dump, and housings for the camshaft control are made of magnesium castings. The intake control features twelve individual butterfly valves and the exhast system has four Inconel catalysts with individual Lambda-Sound controls. The camshafts are continuously variable for increased performance.

From 1998 to 2000, the Le Mans–winning BMW V12 LMR sports car used a similar S70/2 engine.

Aerodynamics

The overall drag coefficient on the standard Mclaren F1 is 0.32; compare 0.36 for the faster (in the context of top speed) Bugatti Veyron, compare 0.357 for the current holder of the fastest car world record (as of 2007) -- the SSC Ultimate Aero TT.

The normal Mclaren F1 features no wings to produce downforce, however the design of the underbody of the Mclaren F1 exploits ground effect to improve downforce which is increased through the use of electric fans to further decrease the pressure under the car. A "high downforce mode" can be turned on and off by the driver.

There is a small rear spoiler on the tail of the vehicle, which is dynamic, the device will adjust dynamically and automatically attempt to balance the center of gravity of the car under braking -- which will naturally be shifted forward when the brakes are applied. The spoiler increases the overall drag coefficient from 0.32 to 0.39 and is activated at speeds equal to or above 40 MPH by brake line pressure.

Brakes

Gordon Murray attempted to utilize carbon brakes for the F1, but found the technology not mature enough at the time. The F1 features unassisted, vented and crossdrilled brake discs made by Brembo. Front size is 332 mm (13.1 in) and at the rear 305 mm (12.0 in), they are all four-pot, opposed piston types, made of aluminium. The rear brake calipers does not feature any handbrake functionality, however there is a mechanically actuated, fist-type caliper.

To increase caliper stiffness the calipers are machined from one single solid (in contrast to the more common being bolted together from two halves). Pedal travel is slightly over one inch. Activation of the rear spoiler will allow the air pressure generated at the back of the vehicle to force air into the cooling ducts located at either end of the spoiler which become uncovered upon application of it.

Transmission and miscellaneous

The Mclaren F1 has a transverse 6-speed manual transmission with an AP carbon triple-plate clutch contained in an aluminium housing, both the standard edition and the 'Mclaren F1 LM' has the following gear ratios: 3.23:1, 2.19:1, 1.71:1, 1.39:1, 1.16:1, 0.93:1, with a final drive of 2.37:1.

The LSD (Limited Slip Differential) has a 40% lock.

The Mclaren F1 has no flywheel in order to decrease inertia and increase responsiveness of the system.

Performance

The standard McLaren F1 can reach 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.2 seconds and has an official top speed of 243.08 mph (391.2 km/h) (although with the rev limiter removed); the F1 remains as of 2007 one of the fastest production cars ever made.

While many car manufacturers often promote their cars in terms of raw engine power, in terms of overall performance (acceleration, braking, and agility) a car's power-to-weight ratio is a better method of quantifying performance than the peak output of the vehicle's powerplant. The F1 achieves 501 hp/ton (303 kW/tonne), or just 4 lb/hp, compare the Enzo Ferrari at 434 hp/ton (314 kW/tonne) (4.6 lb/hp), compare the SSC Ultimate Aero TT with 1003 hp/ton (747.9 kW/tonne), also compare the Bugatti Veyron at 530.2  hp/ton (395 kW/tonne).

McLaren F1

• 0–97 km/h 3.2 s
• 0–161 km/h 6.3 s
• 0–241 km/h 12.8 s
• 0–322 km/h 28.0 s

Performance ratings from Car and Driver performance tests.

The McLaren F1 has a top speed of 231 mph (370 km/h), restricted by the rev limiter at 7400 rpm. However, a prototype was able to reach a higher top speed on the 31st of March, 1998 by the (then) five-year-old ""XP5"". Andy Wallace piloted it down the 9 km straight at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track in Wolfsburg, Germany, setting a new world record of 391.2 km/h (243.08 mph) at 7800 rpm. As Mario Andretti noted in a comparison test, the F1 is capable of engaging a seventh gear, thus, with a higher gear ratio or addition of a seventh gear, it is possible for the McLaren F1 to attain an even greater top speed. This is something which can also be observed by noticing that the top speed was reached at 7800 RPM while the powerplant's peak output is at 7400 RPM. Wallace reportedly remarked that removal of the wing mirrors and adjusting the rear spoiler would have made the car go faster.

Some claim the record is not true nor official due to the fact the car can be considered to be modified prior to the test—the rev limiter was removed. However making minor modifications is common when testing the top speed of supercars, for example removing mirrors, covering up air ducts and using different tires has been seen before.

Record claims

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 i.a. point to the relatively tiny number of cars produced and the extremely high price and contend that a car available to so few is hardly a "production car".

Callaway's Sledgehammer Corvette, the road going version of the Dauer 962 Le Mans (winner of the 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans as a GT) and most recently a version of the 911 Turbo produced by German tuner "9ff" have all proven in testing that they are 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, in turn, has been broken by the Bugatti Veyron, with a top speed of 407 km/h (253 mph), which in turn has been broken by the SSC Ultimate Aero TT with a recorded speed of 411.72 km/h (255.83 mph). All of these are considered to be production cars, and have therefore each beaten the McLaren's record.

As a sidenote, i.a. the 962 Le Mans, Veyron, Ariel Atom, Koenigsegg CCX, Caparo T1, 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 while certain cars cannot break the McLaren's top speed, they are capable of matching or beating the standard version in the 0–60 mph 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 driver's car. The Autocar magazine also stated in their review (Autocar is the only car magazine, other than Road & Track 12/97, to have performed an official road test/review on the McLaren F1) that the McLaren F1 will remain the best supercar ever produced, which helps reinforce what Gordon Murray had said. Further evidence of it being the ultimate driver's car is its light weight. It weighs only 1138 kg while the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 weighs in at 1888 kg. Gordon Murray's target for the McLaren F1 was a curbweight of 1000 kg, but ended up being 1138 kg. It remains one of the lightest supercars ever built, being only slightly heavier than the minimalistic Ferrari F40.

Murray's initial statements were meant to counter the claims of the Bugatti Veyron which was then the fastest production car, Murray has since retracted much of his criticism of the Veyron, saying that it handled much better than he expected.

Variants

The McLaren F1 road car, of which 64 were originally sold, 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 completed street cars remained in McLaren's London showroom for a decade before being offered for sale as new in 2004. This vehicle became the 65th McLaren F1 sold. 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.

Prototypes

Prior to the sale of the first McLaren F1s, five prototypes were built, all carrying the numbers XP1 through XP5. These cars carried minor subtle differences between each other as well as between the production road cars. XP1 was the first publicly unveiled car, and later destroyed in the accident in Namibia. XP2 was used for crash testing and also destroyed. Neither were ever painted. XP3, XP4 and XP5 were all publicity cars developed and owned by McLaren, used for publicity shots and tested by reporters. All were painted a different color, and each was able to be distinguished by their chassis code painted on the side rocker panel. XP4 was seen by many viewers of Top Gear when reviewed by Tiff Needell in the mid 1990s, while XP5 went on to be used in McLaren's famous top speed run.

F1 LM

McLaren F1 LM
Overview
Manufacturer	McLaren Automotive
Production	1996 5 produced (plus one prototype)
Designer	Gordon Murray, Peter Stevens
Body and chassis
Class	Supercar
Body style	2-door 3-seat coupe
Powertrain
Engine	6.1 L V12
Dimensions
Curb weight	1080 kg (2480 lb)

The McLaren F1 LM (LM for Le Mans) was built in honor of the five McLaren F1 GTR's which won the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. Thus, only five cars were built for the road.

The weight was reduced by approximately 75 kg (165 lb) over that of original, through the removal of various pieces of trim and use of optional equipment. The car also had a different transaxle, various aerodynamic modifications, specially-designed 18-inch (457 mm) magnesium alloy wheels and upgraded gearbox. The F1 LM also used the same engine as the 1995 F1 GTR, however, without race-mandated restrictors to produce 691 PS (680 hp/508 kW). It had a top speed of 225 mph (362 km/h), which is less than the standard version due to added aerodynamic drag, despite identical gear ratios. The LM is 76 kg lighter than the stock F1 -- a total mass of 1062 kg -- this is achieved through i.a. no interior noise suppression, no audio system, a very stripped down base interior, no fan assisted ground effect and no dynamic rear wing. In the place of the small dynamic rear wing there is a considerably lager, fixed CFRP rear wing mounted on the back of the vehicle. The fact that the idle noise level inside the car is loud enough to be unable to communicate verbally is the reason for that the car comes with a headset for the driver and passenger(s) which features ear protection and a means of communication through microphone. The conventional instruments are replaced with a LED implementation which features more information than the former type.

The LM machine has the following performance figures: a peak torque of 705.0 nm (520.0 ft lbs) at 4500 RPM and a peak power of 498.1 kw (668.0 bhp) at 7800 RPM, it has a redline at 8500 RPM, the total weight of 1062 kg gives the car a 110.16 bhp per litre ratio.

The F1 LM is regarded to be the fastest incarnation of the McLaren F1 roadcars through the gears and in overall track performance. It has a 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of 2.9 seconds, 0-100 mph (161 km/h) in 5.9 seconds and was once the holder of many world records 2 including the 0-100-0 mph record which it completed in 8.5 seconds.

The F1 LMs can be identified by their Papaya orange paint. The F1 LM's were painted in this color in memory and tribute to Bruce McLaren, whose race color was Papaya orange. Two other models, built exclusively for the Sultan of Brunei, were painted black with blue and yellow graphics. An illustration was drawn by a designer who has seen the vehicles in person.

Although only five F1 LMs were sold, a sixth chassis exists in the form of XP1 LM, the prototype for modifications to the existing F1 to form the new F1 LM. This car is also painted Papaya Orange and is retained by McLaren. Other F1s have been modified by McLaren with LM bodyparts at the behest of the owners, however these are not full F1 LMs since they do not use the race engine.

An F1 LM was used by CAR Magazine when they broke the world record for 0-100 mph, achieving it in 5.9 seconds.

F1 GT

The final incarnation of the roadcar, the F1 GT was meant as a homologation special. With increased competition from homologated supercars from Porsche and Mercedes-Benz in the former BPR Global GT Series and new FIA GT Championship, McLaren required extensive modification to the F1 GTR in order to remain competitive. These modifications were so vast that McLaren would be required to build a production road-legal car on which to base the new race cars.

The F1 GT featured the same extended rear bodywork as the GTRs for increased downforce, yet lacked the rear wing that had been seen on the F1 LM. The downforce generated by the longer tail was found to be sufficient to not require the wing. The front end was also similar to the racing car, with extra louvers and the wheel fenders widened to fit larger wheels. The interior was modified and a racing steering wheel was included in place of the standard unit.

The F1 GTs were built from standard F1 road car chassis, retaining their production numbers. The prototype GT, known as XPGT, was F1 chassis #056, and is still kept by McLaren. The company technically only needed to build one car and did not even have to sell it. However, demand from customers drove McLaren to build two production versions that were sold. The customer F1 GTs were chassis #054 and #058.

Total Production

In total, McLaren built the following amount of F1s and variants:

• 65 F1s (plus 5 prototypes)
• 5 F1 LMs (plus 1 prototype)
• 2 F1 GTs (plus 1 prototype)
• 28 F1 GTR race cars

Total production is thus 72 road legal F1s, 28 racing cars, and 7 prototypes.

Motorsports

Main article: McLaren F1 GTR

Following its initial launch as a road car, motorsports teams convinced McLaren to build racing versions of the F1 to compete in international series. Three different versions of the race car were developed from 1995 to 1997.

Many F1 GTRs, after the cars were no longer eligible in international racing series, were converted to street use. By adding mufflers, passenger seats, adjusting the suspension for more ground clearance for public streets, and removing the air restrictors, the cars were able to be registered for road use.

F1 GTR '95

A 1995-spec F1 GTR which has been modified for street use.

Built at the request of race teams, such as those owned by Ray Bellm and Thomas Bscher, in order to compete in the BPR Global GT Series, the McLaren F1 GTR was a custom built race car which 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). The cars extensive modifications included changes to body panels, suspension, aerodynamics and the interior. The F1 GTR would go on to take its greatest achievement with 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 13th places in the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, beating out custom built prototype sports cars.

In total, nine F1 GTRs would be built for 1995.

F1 GTR '96

To follow up on the success of the F1 GTR into 1996, McLaren further developed the '95 model, leading to a size increase but weight decrease. Nine more F1 GTRs were built to 1996 spec, while some 1995 cars were still campaigned by privateers. F1 GTR '96 chassis #14R is notable as being the first non-Japanese car to win a race in the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC). The car was driven by David Brabham and John Nielsen.

F1 GTR '97

With the F1 GT homologated, McLaren could now develop the F1 GTR for the 1997 season. Weight was further reduced and a sequential transaxle was added. The engine was slightly destroked to 6.0L instead of the previous 6.1L. Due to the heavily modified bodywork, the F1 GTR '97 is often referred to as the "Longtail" thanks to the rear bodywork being extended to increase rear downforce. A total of ten F1 GTR '97s were built.

Models

File:Wiki F1.jpg

1:87th and 1:43rd models by Minichamps/PMA.

Certain die-cast scale models of the F1 are now extremely desirable among collectors. Most of these models are now out of production. Manufacturers of McLaren F1 models include UT Models, Maisto, Minichamps/Paul's Model Art, Guiloy and Autobarn. Models have been produced in 1:87, 1:64, 1:43, 1:24, 1:18 and 1:12. Among the most desirable of these models are the Minichamps 1:43 McLaren F1 GTR West Promotion model (which can sell for over US$1,000 at auction) and the UT Models 1:18 silver & dark blue McLaren F1 LMs (which each can sell for over US$400 at auction).

Facts

• During its pre-production stage, McLaren commissioned Kenwood to create a lightweight car audio system for the car; Kenwood, between 1992 and 1998 used the F1 to promote its products in print advertisements, calendars and brochure covers. Each car audio system was especially designed to tailor to an individual's listening taste and radio was omitted because Murray never listened to the radio.
• The F1 held the title for "Fastest Production Car" for a span of 12 years, since its initial production in 1993 - the longest for any street legal or production car in the history of automobiles.
• Kit car builder DDR Motorsport builds a kit that resembles the F1, based on the Toyota MR-2 SW20 Turbo.

References

• Supercars.
• Driving Ambition: The Official Inside Story of the McLaren F1 (ISBN-10: 1852278412)
• F1 - Mclaren's road car

External links

• Official McLaren Automotive website
• QV500 - McLaren F1 chassis index
• McLaren Chassis