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Watch the McLaren F1's original record-setting top-speed run

When it was released in the early 1990s, the McLaren F1 was a car so full of superlatives that, even today, few cars come close to matching it. The F1 is arguably the greatest car that was or ever will be built, and it's unlikely we'll ever see another road-going car with as much raw and unfettered power and presence as the F1. The most famous metric of all, the car's official top speed of 240.1 mph, was achieved in 1998, deep in the forests of Germany with a former McLaren driver and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner behind the wheel. McLaren just released previously unseen footage of the run, which took place at the Ehra-Lessien proving ground. Aside from watching a digital speedometer slowly creep up to 391 km/h, the best part is the commentary from driver Andy Wallace. You'll have to watch the video for yourself, but it's wonderful hearing Wallace's mixture of excitement and fear as the car creeps ever fast. Pay particularly close attention to his hands, as even the mighty McLaren can't stay cool and calm at 220-plus mph. The car actually hits 242.9 mph in one run, but records take the average of two runs in opposite directions. The team's excitement can be felt through the screen, but the video leaves you with a twinge of sadness knowing that something so pure, so focused, and so wholly and completely uncompromised will likely never be seen again. Related Video: News Source: YouTube via The DriveImage Credit: McLaren McLaren Coupe Performance Supercars Videos top speed

McLaren BC-03 hypercar looks to be a production Ultimate Vision GranTurismo

McLaren revealed the Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo concept October 17, 2017. On October 14, 2018, Instagram user and known exotic car collector dan_am_i posted a slide from a private presentation McLaren gave to some special clientele. The slide read, "MSO - Bespoke Commission BC-03, Customer Review, October 12, 2018," and was rumored to refer to a production version of the Gran Turismo concept. It's said that MSO showed those in attendance a sketch of what's to come. The Supercar Blog broke the story, and McLaren MSO just confirmed to UK car blog Pistonheads that the " BC-03 is a bespoke customer commission being created by McLaren Special Operations." It wouldn't divulge anything more "because the specifics of the project are confidential between MSO and its client." We have only circumstantial evidence and hearsay at the moment, but two days after dan_am_i posted the slide, he returned to Instagram to post a side shot of the McLaren Ultimate VGT concept with #BC03 as one of the hashtags. The McLaren Life forum chimed in, saying MSO is making just five examples, and three have already been claimed. One goes to the aforementioned dan_i_am, the others to fellow seven-figure-car buyers x_marc_the_spot and mannykhoshbin. The BC-03, according to the forum post, is "inspired by" the Playstation concept and will "use new cutting-edge technologies, and a special type of carbon fiber." How much inspiration will make it to reality, that's the question. The Vision GT car was a track-only single-seater with 1,134 horsepower and 940 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers came from a combination of the brand's 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 powering the rear wheels, and two high-output electric motors powering the fronts. It weighed 2,204 virtual pounds. If the real thing comes close to those numbers, the BC-03 would be lighter than the Senna, with just as much if not more power than the Speedtail. We have yet to see if it will be a track-only car, but that wouldn't surprise us if so. We're confident that one aspect that won't make production is the prone, "motorcycle-like" driving position. The rumored price: $3 million, which — considering what's happening in the segment — isn't bad. The BC-03 probably won't possess the same monumental old-time Formula 1 engine note as the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro, but it should provide some good competition should any of the five owners care to risk the BC-03 on the curbs. And if Le Mans really does create a hypercar LMP1 class ...

McLaren MCL33 F1 challenger debuts in Papaya Spark

New Zealander Bruce McLaren founded his eponymous race team in 1963, entered the Formula 1 World Championship in 1966, but fielded his first "McLaren orange" car in the 1967 Can-Am Championship. The following year, Bruce's F1 cars got the orange juice and birthed a mythology. McLaren F1 returns to those 50-year-old roots this year with its MCL33, painted Papaya Spark with contrasting Burton Blue and Cerulean Blue. The team hopes you won't be able to miss the #14 and #2 cars emerging from the weeds they've been lost in for three years while under Honda power. With little change in the regulations beyond the advent of the halo, the MCL33 evolves last year's MCL32. Other than the halo, the big work involved reworking the engine compartment for the Renault power unit — the first time in McLaren's 52 years in F1 that the team has used a Renault engine. There are two engine architecture philosophies in the sport now, one used by Mercedes-Benz and Honda, the other by Renault and Ferrari. Accommodating the new partner meant redesigning the back of the car, including the cooling layout, gearbox bell-house area, and rear suspension. Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne continue their tenures with the Woking, England, team. Playing it cautious after three years of disappointments, Alonso said, "I feel incredibly excited — but also apprehensive. I know just how important this car is to the team, and I just hope that it delivers in the way we all want it to." Executive Director Zak Brown will hope so, too, so he can please the same fans who petitioned for that classic papaya livery, and so he can hide more of that paint under sponsor logos. A curious note on that Petrobras sponsorship — McLaren will actually be using fuel and lubrication products from the sponsor it signed last year, BP Castrol, while Petrobras spends this year developing fuel and lubricants for the team. The MCL33 hits the track today for a film session, then begins eight days of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya next Monday. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.