Cool...wish it were real!
Cool - but tell them they got their facts wrong. There were a total of 28 F1 GTRs, however only the last 10 built for 1997 were 'long tails' >8^) ER
No Pictures unfortunately but i would like to share some of my F1 experiences. Living so close to Goodwood I've had the pleasure of meeting several F1's, on the road and at various meetings around the country. MY first Mclaren F1 sighting was leaving the Festival of Speed in i'd say 1999. As I was leaving the gates waiting in the queue who should pull out behind me but Gordon Murray in his own (i guess) Mclaren F1 with 2 younger girls I presume were his daughters? Anyway I was stunned, seeing The designer of the best 3 UP in his own creation was amazing, and he was really gaining some attention, especially from the marshalls. When the traffic eventually eased he squeezed the throttle and overtook us. Breathtaking. Other sightings have been just two weeks ago at the revival (Sunday morning) when entering the sight from the lavant way, that F1 that has been pictured in this thread recently, with the red pinstripe down the side and registration 'I3 MAC'? followed me in, it was genuinely marvelous. Also last year travelling home the South Harting way, not 1 but two liveried F1's drove past the opposite way. I was stunned!. The park lane Mclaren was visited several times, and the Harrods car has been a personal favourite on the track. One of my favourite cars and truly one that revolutionised the way we think about supercars. Well done Gordon and the team, and thankyou!.
I wonder if they've included 22R that we might see it at some point, and/or it points to it's current livery? I was also gonna say I hope we get more than this one in the game (they had a FINA car in FM2), but when you can relivery any racing car it doesn't really matter I guess. Really looking forward to seeing people create all the liveries for it.
I sent them an email the other day and they actually corrected their article. To save you the click, it now reads like this: "The car in the spotlight today is one of the rare race-prepped versions. From the 100-car production run, only 10 were F1 GTR ‘long tail’ race cars, specially built for private customers competing in the BPR Global GT Series (current FIA GT) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans." >8^) ER
Some new pics of a F1 (with friends) that calls Louisiana home: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=265108
this was one three in Stockholm. I think this one is in Japan now... The other two was a GTR and a dark green F1. I am not sure they are still in Sweden... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The silver F1 in your pics is #064. It was in Hong Kong at SPS Automotive, but may have been sold to someone in Japan now. They also had another silver F1 (#063) at roughly the same time, so it's difficult to tell which one went where. The green F1 (#051) you mention is definitely in Japan now, and last word on that orange GTR (#11R) is that it is with a new owner in Northern Italy. They owner of those two also had a longtail GTR (#23R) which is with a new owner located in Canada. He happens to have quite a collection of Ferraris too. >8^) ER
Nice (source: http://media.mclarenautomotive.com/opr-story-14.htm#images)... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Does anyone have anymore pics of Ralph Lauren's LM3? To me, that example IS the F1 LM. Frank Selldorff was very generous is letting other's enjoy it but I haven't heard a peep about it since I saw it on Discovery Channel's episode of Ralph Lauren's Car Collection. Just curious about how see looks now.
These shots below were taken in Colorado at his ranch by some guys from the UK on a 5-month motorbike tour of the USA who just happened to spot it out on the road and caught up to it as he pulled into his ranch. Ralph has had the car since late December 2004, and these pics were snapped in August 2005. Source is here if you want to check it out. Ralph does drive his cars, which is great, but it seems to me that unless he is trying to win an award on the lawn at some prestegious car show like Pebble Beach, or taking over the Boston Museum of Fine Art like he did with some of the masterpieces in his car collection back in 2005, he's just not a real public guy with them. That said... Road&Track also published an article in June 2007 I believe that was written by Gordon Murray about the F1 LM featuring shots by John Lamm of LM3 in Colorado again. It used to be available for reading online, but has been purged from their website. I may have scans I can share, but will have to find and host them. You can see a couple samples of the photos at the bottom of this gallery page on their website, that are available to purchase as prints. Additionally, John Lamm wrote a coffee table style book titled "Velocity: Supercar Revolution" published in 2006 that featured most of the same photos of LM3 that were used by R&T and some additional of one of Ralph's F1 road cars, but text by John this time and a sidebar by Jay Leno. You can get it on Amazon for $31.50 and is definitely worth the purchase for someone with more than a casual interest in these types of cars. The whole book is excellent! >8^) ER Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Also, a little known story (preferrably not known at all, probably) about LM3 is that shortly after Lauren's purchase it went in to McLaren's East Coast USA Customer Care Facility at BMW's Montvale, NJ headquarters for some servicing. After that, the vehicle was being road tested following what was described as "brake work" over at Englishtown Raceway by someone who worked for the service center. This road test would have been standard practice after the servicing, and the cars are also fully detailed before being returned to the customer each and every time. However, part way down the track on one run, LM3 lost traction and crashed into the wall causing damage to the left rear section of the car. No photos of the damaged car have ever surfaced, but a photo of part of the wing end-plate with it's engraved "LeMans wreath" insignia unique to the LMs was posted as proof of the story, along with another shot of a shard of Papaya Orange carbon fiber from near the back of the car by the rear engine cover. Then the person who shared that information was forced to take it all down by the bosses at his work who were apparently getting chewed on for the leak. Obviously the car went back to McLaren in Woking immediately and it was fully repaired to as-good-as new. When I watch that Discovery Channel segment you mentioned, it strikes me that the delivery of the LM you see (which he originally picked up on a snowy day in New England - I have pics) is probably the delivery of the car coming back from the UK after the crash repairs. You'll notice he pays extra attention to the rear and the left side of the car as he does his walkaround, or at least that's how I see it. In the end, it is a piece of history for the car and shouldn't be swept under the carpet in my opinion. McLaren obviously have records of it happening and would share that info with a new customer or owner should the car ever be sold. Just because the accident was a real accident, and didn't happen at the hands of a famous racing driver pushing the car along in anger in a well known racing event doesn't change the significance in my eyes to all the crashes that get discussed around here of 250 GTOs back in the day. And of course, the repair by McLaren would leave no trace of this incident - afterall, they are the ones who built the car originally, and the same methods, tools, and procedures are used when an F1 gets repaired. >8^) ER
Wow. Thank you very much for the update on LM3. I'm gonna have to rewatch that Discovery Channel bit. Any chance you can upload the original delivery pics? Always cool to see.
Does anyone have pics of #07R when it was with AMG, and something current? I was curious how it looked when AMG had their hands on it. For all I know I have seen it, but not sure. Thanks. A few pics of before and after AMG had it. (before) http://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/1995/Nurburgring-1995-04-23-007.jpg After.. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sure thing - that's what I am here for. The last 9 thumbnails on Page 7 of [url=this gallery, and the ones on Page 8 are the (basically shots 97-108) are the images taken the day the car changed hands. There's no overt shots of either the new or previous owner, and really no indication of what took place that day to the casual viewer. You just have to know. One image that is no longer a part of the gallery, and that unfortunately I am not able to share but will describe, showed the nose of LM3 at the base of a ramp ready to be loaded into an enclosed trailer. There is snow on the ground and on the platform of the ramp in that missing shot, tying into my earlier comment about it being a day that was nothing like the one showed in the Discovery Channel special. Of course that was television, and so the whole thing could have been a bit of a farce, but I like my theory on it. >8^) ER
Hey that's my "see it wore two license plates" compilation shot. The 4EB plate came off a Bugatti (implication 4 Ettore Bugatti) and to me looks odd fitted on an F1. Nothing current on #07R really. I have heard that Oakfields still has it, that it may or may not be for sale, but no real first hand knowledge. Seems it has been for sale for just about forever I guess. Larry Kinch, a Scot, was the one who had it prior to July 2002 (not sure exactly how long) and was the one who originally had it converted by the factory for road use. I have been informed it was the first GTR to receive such treatment too. Anyway, on to your primary question. The bad news here is that the info that #07R was the car AMG bastardized was proven to be inaccurate. It turned out they had used a 1996 GTR, chassis #11R instead. A little egg on my face on that one as I was certainly one who repeated that it had been #07R based on faulty intel more than once in different places I am sure. The roof scoop, vent in the center of the hood, and surprisingly the position of the wiper arm which had completely switched from '95 GTRs to the '96s led to assisting with the final conclusion, along with a friend who was eager to set the record straight. That piece of news won't stop me from sharing some images for you though. The small size and Sutton watermark on those last three makes them difficult to view. >8^) ER Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Cool thanks! I'm glad it wasn't 07R, and you can really see the CLK GTR in that.. Do you know what this cars (11R) current condition is? You might also know if there are any known pics of the Mclaren mules? The ones with the (if I remember right) Chevy engines? (more Itouch info) Thanks again. Dale
Sure - GTR #11R is now one of the F1 GTRs that have been converted for road use and one of 5 that now wears the Historic 'Papaya' Orange paint, giving it a look quite similar to an F1 LM. Personally, I sort of wish McLaren had found a polite way to tell those customers a polite 'No' when that request to paint GTRs orange was first made, but one assumes they could have just had their car painted on their own somewhere, so it would have been fighting a losing battle for sure. None of those GTRs are 'identical' to an LM in every way, but they do serve to confuse the less informed McLaren enthusiast as to what they really are from time to time. There are better pics of #11R out there, but this is a nice little set that meets the FChat image size requirements taken when it was being actively offered for sale by KS Autohandel in Germany in the middle part of the decade. It eventually was sold to a collector in Northern Italy we are told (must be popular with the neighbors ) and you can see it from the inside on track at Paul Ricard in this great video. >8^) ER Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
There were two just F1 mules, built before the carbon chassis was completed to allow McLaren to develop certain things along the way, including proof of concept on the center-driver's-seat placement. Once the carbon chassis' design was complete, McLaren built 5 real F1 road car prototypes, all of which were fitted with the BMW V12. For the mules though, they were both built using the kit for an early Ultima GTR and only the first one used a large American V8 engine in order to simulate the torque expected from the engine that was eventually selected (I think at that point they hadn't solidified the agreement yet with BMW) in order to test brakes and do some suspension development. The second one would be rather crudely altered to allow fitment of the first BMW V12. The first car was called "Albert" and the second one "Edward" - they even made badges for them. There's a great page on Ultima's website that covers the two cars here and a chapter in the excellent book on the McLaren F1 called "Driving Ambition" that is titled "The Heavenly Twins" that gives greater detail on the pair and what roles they played in the car's development. The benefit, of course, was that McLaren could use them in public settings without worry of giving away any details on the F1's unique design. In fact, Albert was actually designed so that the driver's seat and driving controls could swing into the center of the car from their traditional RHD locations, allowing McLaren to try to conceal the fact early on that drivers of the McLaren F1 would sit in the middle of the car. As you will see from the Ultima website, when their usefulness had expired for McLaren, both cars were eventually stripped of all their valuable bits and crushed. Here's a few extra photos, 1st two of Albert, next pair of Edward that you won't find at that link. >8^) ER Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
And on that topic, this is kind of funny. Not sure exactly when/where this was printed at the moment, but it would have been before May of 1992 when the F1 styling mockup known as the "Clinic Model" was finally unveiled to the world at the Sporting Club in Monaco during the race weekend that year. You can see the details of the story were mostly accurate, but the car in those images (if you don't immediately recognize it) was actually the Dauer 962LM road car. Oops! >8^) ER Image Unavailable, Please Login
There is no link. lol I've forgotten to paste before also. I know it sounds crazy but LM3 is the one car I absolutely aim to purchase one day. I have that Driving Amibition book as well. Fantastic read. Jay Leno even brings it up when discussing his F1: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/clips/1994-mclaren-f1/187638/
Great thread, only arriving a bit late so I have quite a lot of reading to do! Nevertheless, great reading your insight on the F1 Erik. The way I understand things Edward and Albert pre-dated and were destroyed before the XP mules were built, one if which I beleive was crashed at high speed in Namibia. Sorry if this aspect has already been covered or discussed(really should read threads from page 1!
