McLaren F1

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McLaren
1996 McLaren F1.jpg
F1
Production period: 1993-1997
Class : Sports car
Body versions : Coupe
Engines: Petrol engines :
6.1 liters
(461–500 kW)
Length: 4290 mm
Width: 1820-2097 mm
Height: 1150 mm
Wheelbase : 2720 ​​mm
Empty weight : 907-1138 kg

The McLaren F1 is a super sports car that was built 106 times by McLaren Automotive between 1993 and 1997 and was equipped with a 12-cylinder BMW engine. Of these, 72 were sold as street-legal vehicles, 28 were converted to GT1 racing cars in accordance with the FIA regulations , the main area of ​​which was the FIA GT championship , and another six were prototypes.

The McLaren F1 was developed between 1989 and 1992 under the direction of then McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray .

body

The three seats of the F1

The body was made of CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) and designed as a monocoque . This had never before been used on a series vehicle and could only be carried out with extremely high technical effort and high production costs. The suspensions for the chassis and engine were made of aluminum and magnesium.

The vehicle is a three-seater. The driver sits in the middle, there are passenger seats set back a little to the right and left of the driver's seat. This makes the F1, along with the Matra Bagheera and Murena, one of the few three-seater mid-engined sports cars in the world, but in contrast to the aforementioned has a central driver position. This was chosen to avoid head contact of the driver with the side roof pillars (“cant rails”). In addition, the central seating position of the driver should optimize visibility, the driving experience and thus operation and handling, as well as (at least without a passenger) the weight distribution.

The design was designed from an aerodynamic point of view like never before, with the focus on generating enough downforce for the high performance through the shape alone . In addition, active aerodynamic components were used for the first time, such as B. two fans that generated additional negative pressure under the vehicle if necessary. The McLaren F1 has a drag coefficient of 0.32. For comparison: BMW 850i (E31): 0.29.

McLaren hired Peter Stevens to design the interior and exterior .

Prototypes

The six-year-old prototype XP 5 of the McLaren F1 reached on 31 March 1998 with a ride on the VW - proving ground in Ehra-Lessien , Niedersachsen , with increased to 8,300 rev h a top speed of 391 km / (243 Miles per hour). The vehicle was driven by Andy Wallace . McLaren developed five prototypes of the F1 before the first McLaren F1 was built in 1992. There was the:

  • XP1 (the experimental prototype 1): destroyed by fire after three months during testing by BMW in Africa
  • XP2: used for the crash test
  • XP3: used for an endurance test (231 mph ) on the circuit of Nardò ( Italy )
  • XP4 and XP5: vehicles of the marketing department

The first regular series copy was handed over to a customer in Monaco in December 1993. The McLaren F1 cost around 1.5 million DM at the time, the equivalent of around € 770,000, and at that time was the most expensive mass-produced automobile in the world.

Versions

  • McLaren F1 (street version, 64 pieces)
  • McLaren F1 LM (street version, 5 pieces)
  • McLaren F1 GT (street version, 3 pieces)
  • McLaren F1 GTR (racing version, 28 pieces)

Several examples of the F1 GTR have been converted and approved for road use.

  • Rear view of a McLaren F1 GTR

  • Oblique view of a McLaren F1 GTR

  • Oblique view of a McLaren F1 LM

  • Oblique view of a McLaren F1 GTR "Longtail"

  • Rear view of a McLaren F1 GTR "Longtail" from BMW Motorsport

  • McLaren F1 GTR "Longtail" during an FIA GT race driven by Gary Ayles

  • McLaren F1 GTR in the box

  • BMW S70 / 2 V12 engine of a McLaren F1 GTR

Engines

When looking into the engine compartment, the heat reflective coating is made of gold be clearly seen that the body of CFRP protects.

The engines were based on performance-enhanced twelve-cylinder engines from BMW Motorsport GmbH and were developed under the direction of Paul Rosche , the man who was also responsible for BMW's Formula 1 turbo engines. The BMW V12 had a displacement of 6.1 liters (displacement: 6,064 cm 3 ; engine code: S70B61) and were used in several power levels from 461 kW / 627 PS (type S70 / 2) to 500 kW / 680 PS. The internal designations for these engines from BMW were S70 / 2 and S70 / 3 , the basic version (S70) of the engines was used in the BMW model 850 CSi .

The S70 / 1 version with 404 kW / 550 PS was originally intended to be used in the planned top model (M8) of the BMW 8 series, but this was never implemented for cost reasons and not with the 850 CSi (a kind of "economy version" of the M8 280 kW / 380 PS and the engine code S70B56, which has to do without four-valve technology, VANOS and individual throttle valves) is identical.

This motor should also not be confused with the M70 and M73 motors used in the 750i and 850i , which are largely related to one another.

The engines have 4 valves per cylinder and a variable camshaft control ( VANOS ). The weight is 266 kg. The engine was later used in the BMW V12 LMR and was once again successful in the Le Mans 24-hour race .

transmission

Board with racing successes in F1

The McLaren F1 has a transversely installed six-speed transmission and a three-plate clutch, the discs of which are made of silicon carbide ceramic reinforced with carbon fibers .

Performance

The performance varied due to the different engine variants and weight levels of the vehicle.

The McLaren F1 (the data for the LM , GT and GTR models differ from these):

  • Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 3.4 seconds
  • Acceleration from 0 to 160 km / h in 6.3 seconds
  • Acceleration from 0 to 200 km / h in 9.4 seconds
  • Acceleration from 0 to 300 km / h in 23.0 seconds
  • Braking from 371 km / h to 0 in approx. 9 seconds (500 m)
  • Braking 100 to 0 km / h 38.2 m
  • Max. Lateral acceleration 1.2 g
  • 1/4 mile (402.3 m) from a standing start in 11.1 seconds
  • 1 kilometer from a standing start in 19.6 seconds, top speed 285 km / h
  • Top speed 370 km / h

McLaren F1 LM:

  • Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 3.9 seconds (factory specification: 2.9 seconds)
  • Acceleration from 0 to 160 km / h in 6.7 seconds (factory specification: 5.9 seconds)
  • Braking 100 to 0 km / h 38.2 m
  • 1/4 mile (402.3 m) from a standing start in 11.0 seconds
  • Top speed 362 km / h

Record speed

In the Guinness Book of Records from 2000, the McLaren F1 6.1 was considered the most powerful production car.

“The most powerful production car in the world is currently the McLaren F1 6.1, which develops braking power of over 627 hp. It accelerates to 95.6 km / h in 3.2 seconds and reaches a top speed of over 370 km / h "

- Guinness Book of Records

The F1 was considered the fastest production car until - depending on the definition of the term "production car" - it was replaced by the duration 962 LM or the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 . The F1 is considered to this day as the fastest production car in the world that by a suction motor is driven.

consumption

In a report on the English program Fifth Gear, the testers determined an average consumption of around 47 liters per 100 km.

Motorsport successes

McLaren F1 GTR at the 2008 Jim Clark Revival

One of the greatest successes of F1 is the overall victory of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995 . The McLaren F1 was able to win the race right at its first start at Le Mans, something that no vehicle had managed before. In addition, four other F1 took 3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th place.

costs

Used models are regularly traded from 1,000,000 euros. Chassis # 066 or chassis # 073, which was retrofitted with the LM kit and sold in August 2015 for USD 13.75 million, achieved a record value at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August 2013 for 8.47 million USD .

A small inspection after 3000 km or 6 months costs around 5000 euros, a large inspection after 10,000 km or 18 months costs around 50,000 euros. The contributions to the motor vehicle insurance amount to 100% at around 30,000 euros per year.

Prominent owners

Accidents

In 1995 the then BMW CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder caused a total loss with a McLaren F1 on a private drive on a Bavarian country road near Rosenheim when it went off the road in a fast bend. All those involved and the police have kept quiet about the speed before the accident, but information from internal investigations that has come to the public indicates that the accident happened at “well over 100 km / h”. Even weeks after the accident, Pischetsrieder did not want to give any information about the approximate speed at the time of the accident. According to a senior BMW manager, this behavior is “damaging to the image” of the CEO and “more than embarrassing” for the BMW Group. The BMW supervisory board was very unhappy with his behavior, the public prosecutor was investigating Pischetsrieder for negligent bodily harm .

There were at least two other total losses in this and the following years with other drivers in Germany, one of them on the federal motorway 5 near Darmstadt at a speed of approx. 270 km / h.

Rowan Atkinson , who played the comedy character Mr. Bean , had two accidents with his McLaren F1: In 1999 he severely damaged the front of his car when he hit the back of a small car. In August 2011 he had an even more serious accident. Atkinson had the car completely rebuilt at the factory. In November 2012 the car was ready to drive again. Since then, the actor claims to have used the car every day. In January 2015 it was offered for sale through a London dealer, in June it was sold for an estimated eight million pounds (almost eleven million euros).

Ron Dennis also had an accident with a McLaren F1 when he drove the car at high speed against a boundary wall during a test drive as part of a marketing tour of Asia at the Suzuka International Racing Course . The vehicle was only a total write-off.

Also Elon Musk had an accident with his F1 when he fell during a lane change at full throttle into a skid and crashed into an embankment. The vehicle took off and the wheels, windows and body were badly damaged in the impact. Musk and his companion were unharmed.

All of the accidents mentioned here ended without major injuries to the driver or occupants. Nevertheless, there have already been fatal accidents with the sports car.

Web links

Commons : McLaren F1  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.autobild.de/artikel/modus-962-le-mans-42071.html
  2. ↑ BMW - million-dollar toy "derbröselt" from the Focus.de archive (issue FOCUS No. 23 from 1995), accessed on May 21, 2008.
  3. ↑ Suspicious silence . In: Der Spiegel . No. 24 , 1995, pp. 92 ( Online - June 12, 1995 ).
  4. ↑ Mr Bean crashes sports car from BBC.com, accessed May 21, 2008
  5. ↑ Small scan of the article about the McLaren F1 accident at Atkinson with photo of the accident vehicle from BBC.com, accessed on May 21, 2008.
  6. ↑ Rowan Atkinson drives a 600-hp McLaren to scrap from spiegel.de, accessed on August 5, 2011.
  7. ↑ History of the McLaren F1 No. 061 with a detailed report on the accident and the restoration at Simon Taylor: It depresses me when great cars are hidden away . In: Classic and Sportscar, issue 3/2013, p. 86 ff.
  8. ↑ Atkinson sells super sports cars from n-tv.de, article from January 24, 2015, accessed on December 21, 2015.
  9. ↑ Rowan Atkinson sells his McLaren F1 from motor-talk.de, article from June 9, 2015, accessed on December 21, 2015.
Timeline of McLaren -Serienmodelle since 1994
Type engine 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0
Super sports car
with front engine 		V8 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
Sports car
with mid-engine 		MP4-12C / 12C
650S
675LT
720S
765LT
570S
540C
600LT
620R
GT
Super sports car
with mid-engine 		P1
Senna
Elva
Speedtail
V12 F1
  • With modified BMW engine
  • Together with Mercedes-Benz