The McLaren F1 is an automotive icon and this clip from Car Throttle details seven very interesting stories about the great performance car.
One of the coolest stories about the McLaren F1 relates to how it served as an important test-bed for the eventual Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR.
When Mercedes-Benz decided to enter the FIA GT Championship with an all-new vehicle, it knew it needed to develop something at a blistering pace. To do so, it purchased McLaren F1 chassis #11R from Larbre Competition and started to make it unique. First, the McLaren’s body panels were removed and replaced with new ones, akin to those of the F1 GTR longtail but developed by Mercedes. In addition, the F1’s BMW V12 engine was swapped out for an LS600 6.0-liter AMG engine.
Icon: MSO-Restored McLaren F1 To Be Displayed In The UK
Mercedes-Benz tested the car at the Jarama circuit and it proved exceptionally fast. Sadly, it was crashed but even still, the team gained valuable data during its tests and just six months after first being sketched, the CLK GTR started racing and winning.
The McLaren F1 used by the German outfit was later fully restored, had its BMW V12 re-installed, and was painted in two-tone Papaya Orange and black before being auctioned off in 2000.
Another superb story told about the McLaren F1 relates to the Sultan of Brunei’s huge collection of them which at one time, included no less than 10 examples, three of which are the hugely-desirable F1 LM models that was capped to just five units worldwide.