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                                                                                                      280px-1996_McLaren_F1_Chassis_No_63_6.1_Front.jpg

                                                                             

The McLaren F1 is a sports car designed and manufactured by British automobile manufacturer McLaren Cars and powered by the BMW S70/2 V12 engine, of which a limited number was produced. The original concept was conceived by Gordon Murray, who successfully convinced Ron Dennis to back the project and hired car designer Peter Stevens to design the exterior and interior of the car. On 31 March 1998, the XP5 prototype with a modified rev limiter set the Guinness World Record for the world's fastest production car, reaching 240.1 mph (386.4 km/h),[6] surpassing the Jaguar XJ220's 217.1 mph (349.4 km/h) record from 1992 achieved with an increased rev limit and catalytic converters removed.

The car features numerous proprietary designs and technologies; it is lighter and has a more streamlined structure than many modern sports cars, despite having one seat more than most similar sports cars, with the driver's seat located in the centre (and slightly forward) of two passengers' seating positions, providing driver visibility superior to that of a conventional seating layout. It was conceived as an exercise in creating what its designers hoped would be considered the ultimate road car. Despite not having been designed for use as a race car, a modified racing version of the vehicle won several races, including the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. Production began in 1992 and ended in 1998. In all, 106 cars were manufactured, with some variations in the design.[7]

In 1994, the British car magazine Autocar stated in a road test regarding the F1, "The McLaren F1 is the finest driving machine yet built for the public road." They further stated, "The F1 will be remembered as one of the great events in the history of the car, and it may possibly be the fastest production road car the world will ever see."[8] In 2005, Channel 4 placed the car at number one on their list of the 100 greatest cars, calling it "the greatest automotive achievement of all time". In po[CENSORED]r culture, the McLaren F1 has earned its spot as 'The greatest automobile ever created' and 'The Most Excellent Sports Car of All Time' amongst a wide variety of car enthusiasts and lovers.[9] Notable past and present McLaren F1 owners include Lewis Hamilton,[10] Elon Musk,[11] Rowan Atkinson,[12] Jay Leno,[13] George Harrison,[14] Ralph Lauren,[15] Nick Mason,[16] and the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah.[17] In the April 2017 issue of Top Gear Magazine, the McLaren F1 was listed as one of the fastest naturally aspirated cars currently available in the world, and in the same league as more modern vehicles such as the Ferrari Enzo and Aston Martin One-77 despite being produced and engineered 10 years prior to the Ferrari Enzo and 17 years prior to the Aston Martin One-77.[18].

                                                                                                                                    220px-1996_McLaren_F1_Chassis_No_63_6.1_Rear.jpg

                                                                                                     

A pair of Ultima MK2 kit cars, chassis numbers 12 and 13, "Albert" and "Edward", the last two MK2s, were used as "mules" to test various components and concepts before the first cars were built. Number 12 was used to test the gearbox with a 454 (7.4l) Chevrolet V8, plus various other components such as the seats and the brakes. Number 13 was the test of the V12, plus the exhaust and cooling system. When McLaren was done with the cars they destroyed both of them to keep away the specialist magazines and because they did not want the car to be associated with "kit cars".[21]

The car was first unveiled at a launch show, on 28 May 1992, at The Sporting Club in Monaco. The production version remained the same as the original prototype (XP1) except for the wing mirror which, on the XP1, was mounted at the top of the A-pillar. This car was deemed not road legal as it had no indicators at the front; McLaren was forced to make changes to the car as a result (some cars, including Ralph Lauren's, were sent back to McLaren and fitted with the prototype mirrors). The original wing mirrors also incorporated a pair of indicators which other car manufacturers would adopt several years later.

The car's safety levels were first proved during testing in Namibia in April 1993, when a test driver wearing just shorts and a T-shirt hit a rock and rolled the first prototype car several times, and still managed to escape unscathed. Later in the year, the second prototype (XP2) was specially built for crash testing and passed with the front wheel arch untouched.

                                                                                                                            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLaren_F1

                                                  

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