McLaren F1 to be reborn as ?hyper-GT? | Autocar
It would be so great if they scrapped the TT V8 and did a proper homage with a NA V12. Take your time Mclaren and do it right!!
It looks promising but i don't see the reason why McLaren will make another one F1 since they made the P1 as the replacer of the F1. Probably profit is one reason?!
Looks Awesome! It's about time they have another 3 seater hyper car. However : $2.6 million and no electric hybrid? Just TT 3.8l V8?? R u kidding me? They should put in the electric motor. (is this the P14?) $2.6 Million McLaren F1 Re-Birth 'Hyper-GT' Coming in 2018 - GTspirit (I think they have one reserved for Jay Leno and one for MarkNC.)
It will be interesting to see just how much of this is a 'new' car and not just thrown together from the P1 parts bin to make some more $$$$ back from those development costs.
Well, today a Japanese collector (owns Ferraris mostly) verified that one of the 64 'new' McLaren F1s is heading to him. Deposit given.
Misinformation seems to be swirling around this project based on some assumptions being drawn from a very limited release of information so far. This won't be a new model from McLaren, but rather this is a Bespoke Project commissioned through MSO. Initially they intended less than a dozen units, then it grew to 64 (the number of F1 road cars produced) and now it has apparently risen again to 106 (the total number of F1s of all types produced). With well over 200 people clamoring to get one, maybe we'll even see that number change again? This new GT car will feature a unique carbon fiber monocoque utlilizing the F1's three seat layout. The project was certainly inspired by the F1, and a sincere focus will be put on weight reduction, but direct similarities will end there. Expect the powerplant to be a variation of what will be found in the new McLaren 'P14' (650S replacement) set to be unveiled in 2017 at the Geneva Motor Show. The new motor is designed to accept hybrid augmentation, but that may not be included in this project. Anyway, a normally aspirated V12 is not in the cards, nor will a proper gear lever, and we can expect a host of modern driver aids - all counter to what some would expect from a reborn F1. Styling is still being finalized, but expect something more in keeping with their current direction rather that some kind of modernized version of the F1 (like the classic Ford GT40/Ford GT was). There are no plans for a racing variant and I don't think one should expect ultimate track performance, though obviously with it being McLaren and with the stats they are shooting for, it should be quite a competent performer. >8^) ER
I'm disagreeing with the implication that McLaren are building a new McLaren F1. Based on the latest reporting I even had one person ask me if I'd heard that McLaren were going to start building the McLaren F1 again, implying they would restart production. >8^) ER
Interesting, but (not that I'm anywhere close to being in the market!) I am writing McLaren off my list of aspirational cars, as of last week. I have zero interest in any cars marketed/sold by Mansour Ojjeh and the Bahraini Wealth Fund. Without Ron Dennis, the McLaren road car heritage is dead.
Do you realize that TAG/Mansour has been a majority shareholder since 1984 and that the Bahrain Wealth Fund have held at least 30% interest in the McLaren Group since 2008? Just making sure it's clear these are not new developments. >8^) ER
Hm. A 3-person tourer with no storage space? Making an entirely new monocoque for such a vehicle? I think that is prohibitively expensive, even though McLaren seems to ask enough money per car. But that would make the project catastrophic if people don't buy. The front engine Ferrari tourers a lot more sense. On the other hand - if they make it a wagon that would be the killer
Sure. Investors. Dennis has been the inspiration, drive, and vision behind McLaren since 1980. Without Dennis, Ojjeh and Mumtalakat are just bank balances. They funded the implementation of the vision, the vision was not theirs. Ojjeh can make mid-range watches, great. Can they really continue to build on what Dennis achieved with McLaren? I don't believe so.
That's like saying you don't want a Ferrari since Enzo is dead. Makes no sense. I'd also point out that Ron Dennis doesn't even exist for anyone outside of F1 and some of the biggest markets in the world don't even care about F1 or know about the history of McLaren, namely the US and China. Dennis also has little to nothing to do with Automotive. He only has 10% of the car division and really isn't much of a figure head for the brand in recent memory. You mainly see the CEO, test driver, and head of design being interviewed. McLaren is just a brand like any other high-end car brand. If they make cool cars, people will buy them.
Your analogy isn't even close. Try this one - say in 1973, 8 years after buying majority ownership of Ferrari, Gianni Agnelli and FIAT fired Enzo and threw him out of the Ferrari company and race teams that he spent 25 years building up, and appointed some FIAT executive committee to run the various divisions. Enzo sits on the outside while some FIAT accountant decides the race team budget and that development budget of the new 308 is being slashed, etc. Would that still have been the same Ferrari to you? I think not.
Makes no difference. Enzo has been dead for 30 years and the F1 team and cars have been fine without him. I'm in my early 30s and I know nothing about Enzo Ferrari, nor do I care to learn anything. He's just some guy who started Ferrari. They sell cars and I either like them or I don't. The F1 teams is meaningless to me and I consider it one of the dullest sports on Earth. The Ferrari we know today is not the result of Enzo. Arguable the best and most exciting cars Ferrari has ever made were not produced under his guidance.
What gives you the impression it would have no storage space? The McLaren F1 had more storage space than the Ford Fiesta in its time period. Fair bet the new car will follow the same chassis layout and also offer a comparative amount of space. McLaren's method for constructing a unique monocoque is quite different from times of old and far more cost effective. This article from when the brand was launched gives some insight working with their Austrian partner, Carbo Tech: Carbo Tech to produce carbon fibre monocoques for McLaren sports cars - Materials Today A more recent article here as well: More from JEC: High-quality carbon fiber monocoques in two hours : CompositesWorld As to the viability and profitability - MSO currently have ~300 customers interested in a car they plan to build just 106 of. Most of this interest was generated long before a majority of the information had reached the mainstream press so surely now they will have even more lining up. The CBA will have been done to get board approval at current price and production targets, so I don't think they need to be concerned with losing money here. If anything, the premiums they will charge for certain levels of personalization above and beyond the standard cars will be a boon to their balance sheet. >8^) ER
One more trophy for the uber rich to sell to one another. Nothing wrong with that but let's be honest here. The car market and world has changed since the first F1.
Same here. I really like the fact that McLaren has gained enough confidence as a manufacturer to develop cars like this one which have little to do with the competition. A 3 seat Hybrid GT car is a great idea. I especially like the idea that McLaren is using this car to continue to push its Hybrid development.
