Ralph Lauren's collection

http://public.fotki.com/dealwisl/the-ralph-lauren-ca/

 

http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/video/ralph-lauren-car-collection-car-love/

 

Cool! He's wearing a headphone whilst driving it

Gr. Martin

 

The headphones are to communicate, its a loud non isolated hardcore LM car..

 

Yes, he was kidding with that comment, but here's a good representation of the reason why:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pDR9wOdZcM

Ralph's LM is in the hands of its previous owner in that video.

Sounds over-the-top incredible!

>8^)
ER

 

1 of my mechanics worked for an important Ferrari shop way back. So this guy drives in around 1980 w a real NART spyder. Guy has no clue what he has. Shop owner talks to the guy and sends my mech out to drive the car in the rain on bald tires. My mech slides off the road but doesnt hit anything.

Later the shop owner tells the NART owner he can get him $75k for the car. NART guy is all excited saying "This car is worth that much ?"

Later shop owner calls a few serious collectors & flips the car for $300k

 

The S/N of RL's 275 NART Spider is 10219. The original owner was Ben Gould in IL. Gould sold it in 1984 to Lauren who paid US$ 225 K.

Marcel Massini

 

I made it up to Boston to see this, and I thought it was well worth the trip. Mr. Lauren has great taste, and the exhibit was very well put together.

 

But in the back of this photo there is an LM - It is in New Zealand, is that in addition to the ones you mention above?

Sorry, only photo I got of it.
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Are they telling people that car is an "F1 LM" too?

That is actually a road car - chassis #018. It was originally built back in 1994, a year before the F1 GTR was introduced that won LeMans, a year before they built the F1 LM prototype, and two years prior to McLaren building the 5 production F1 LMs. It can not, and will never be, an "F1 LM".

Now, the way that you saw that car is not the way it was originally built in 1994. This car, and one other, have been back to the factory for a very special set of modifications that included the addition of an LM-spec engine. Now just having that additional power does not morph this car or its near-twin into an LM. In fact, McLaren chose not to fit an "LM" badge to these two cars, which they could have easily done, for a very good reason as there are wide gaps in the differences between them, and the real LMs.

The other car that matches the specs of the one in your photo is chassis #073, and this is what Christie's Auctions had to say about it when they sold the car in 2003:

The details for the car in your photo would all read quite similar, though the timing on the build was slightly different. In the end, this pair ends up actually being quite a bit more special than an LM in my eyes - which you may have also gathered based on the quoted text above.

Here's some shots below - first of #018 in its original configuration, taken in Japan in 1995. Then a better set of shot of #018 as it looks today since in your photo it is kind of hidden.

BTW: Obviously New Zealand, but where and when was your shot taken? Also, if you care the owners name is Andrew Bagnall.

>8^)
ER
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Interior shot I took of Lauren's TR from the Fairfield Concours 2 years ago!
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I was told it was an LM but now I read your post it was obviously the short answer to a long question!

Its the first time I have seen it here, and you are correct on the owner. Magnificent car - and I am not even a McLaren fan! I first saw it a the local BP (I was shocked actually - we don't see many here) whilst I was on my way out to Pukekohe Race Track, and I think the owner was running a GT3 there. They had it parked in a roped off area. It was taken aroung the start of November last year.

Thanks for the info!

 

Yes - that's a great way to put it.

Personally, I don't think it would be too difficult to say:

"It's a road car with the F1 LM's more powerful engine and the body has been modified with McLaren's optional "Extra High Downforce Kit". All the conversion work was done by the factory, and there are only two F1s like it anywhere in the world."

That to me, even pretending to be a casual McLaren F1 enthusiast, sounds way more impressive.

The owner who ended up with #073 after the Christies' Auction used to display it with a sign that identified it as an F1 LM and that was aggravating (see below). If you are going to go to the trouble to have a sign made, spell out the details and be accurate, please!

Incidentally, in addition to the two LM-spec engined F1s, there are also (to my knowledge) at least another 7 F1 road cars that have been fitted with McLaren's "High Downforce Kit" which matches what you see on chassis #018 essentially, but they lack the extra louvers in the nose over the front wheel arches. There used to be 8 F1s with the HDF Kit, but one owner had it removed from the car in the past year, returning it to stock. That was kind of surprising to see.

>8^)
ER
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Are you a New Zealander or what?

To me these cars are boring to look at. Sure they must be fun to drive but they look too much like a Toyota Corolla. When we saw one in Melbourne my wife simply went "humph, what a plain Jane" ... have to agree. Parked next to a F40 nobody would even notice it.
Pete

 

http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=2718315#post2718315

 

The F1 you saw was also likely dark silver, as the one above is. The complaint about the F1s blending in compared to some supercars can be rectified by the owner choosing a more vibrant or wild paint color. There are a few metallic orange F1s out there that would be hard to miss and likely ellicit a different reaction from the wife, as would an LM with the body of the one above, painted in the historic McLaren 'Papaya Orange'.

>8^)
ER

 

Heard from a family member on the other coast that the Bugatti is at Paul Russell's shop currently (or was this AM)...

I saw the cars at the MFA and have seen a few at various concours over the years... overrestored if there is such a thing, but finely done.

-Tad