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This article was first published 12 years ago

This supercar can go up to 390km/h!

Last updated on: April 13, 2012 20:13 IST

Image: On March 31, 1998, it set the record for the fastest road car in the world.
Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

The McLaren F1 is a supercar designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive. Originally a concept conceived by Gordon Murray, he convinced Ron Dennis to back the project and engaged Peter Stevens to design the exterior of the car.

On March 31, 1998, it set the record for the fastest road car in the world, topping at 372 km/h with rev limiter on and 391 km/h with rev limiter removed.

Courtesy: Images, distractioncontrol.com

Text, Wikipedia

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This supercar can go up to 390km/h!


Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

The car features numerous proprietary designs and technologies; it is lighter and has a more streamlined structure than even most of its modern rivals and competitors despite having one seat more than most similar sports cars.

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This supercar can go up to 390km/h!


Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

It features a powerful engine and is somewhat track oriented, but not to the degree that it compromises everyday usability and comfort.

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This supercar can go up to 390km/h!


Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

It was conceived as an exercise in creating what its designers hoped would be considered the ultimate road car. Despite not having been designed as a track machine, a modified race car edition of the vehicle won several races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995.

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Tags: Le Mans

This supercar can go up to 390km/h!


Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

Chief engineer Gordon Murray's design concept was a common one among designers of high-performance cars: low weight and high power.

This was achieved through use of high-tech and expensive materials like carbon fibre, titanium, gold, magnesium and kevlar. The F1 was the first production car to use a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis.

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This supercar can go up to 390km/h!


Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

Gordon Murray had been thinking of a three-seat sports car since his youth, but when Murray was waiting for a flight home from the fateful Italian Grand Prix in 1988, he drew a sketch of a three seater sports car and pitched the idea of creating the ultimate road car, a concept that would be heavily influenced by the company's Formula One experience and technology and thus reflect that skill and knowledge through the McLaren F1.

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This supercar can go up to 390km/h!


Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

The car was first unveiled at a launch show on May 28, 1992, at The Sporting Club in Monaco.

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This supercar can go up to 390km/h!


Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

The car's safety levels were first proved when during a testing in Namibia in April 1993, a test driver wearing just shorts and t-shirt hit a rock and rolled the first prototype car several times. The driver managed to escape unscathed.

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This supercar can go up to 390km/h!


Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

Later in the year, the second prototype (XP2) was especially built for crash testing and passed with the front wheel arch untouched.

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This supercar can go up to 390km/h!


Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

The McLaren F1 road car, of which 64 were originally sold, saw several different modifications over its production span which were badged as different models.

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This supercar can go up to 390km/h!


Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

Of the road versions, 21 are reportedly in the United States. One of the completed street cars remained in McLaren's London showroom for a decade before being offered for sale as new in 2004.

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This supercar can go up to 390km/h!


Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

For a very long time, the McLaren F1 had been the world's fastest car, and even now, it is still very difficult to beat.

Zero to 62 mph comes at 3.2 seconds, zero to 100 miles per hour comes at 6.3 seconds, and a top speed of almost 248 mph are some of its performance numbers.

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This supercar can go up to 390km/h!


Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

At Monaco, the targeted customer base learned that only 100 examples would be made, and that the McLaren would be the fastest, most exclusive car in the world.

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This supercar can go up to 390km/h!


Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

After delivering 100 customer cars McLaren stopped production after seven prototypes, 64 road cars, 5 special F1 LMs (built to commemorate victory at Le Mans in 1995), three F1 GTs (road going versions of the long tail 1997 F1 GTR race car) and 28 F1 GTR road cars.

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This supercar can go up to 390km/h!


Photographs: Courtesy, distractioncontrol.com

Of these, the Sultan of Brunei owns the most, and has two very special black F1 LMs with striking Pininfarina graphics as well as an exact replica of the F1 GTR that won LeMans.