May 28, 1992. Hardcore McLaren fans immediately recognized the date as the biggest supercar launch of the 1990s. Of course we’re talking McLaren F1, and only 106 were made from 1992 until the end of production in 1998. Remember, that number includes prototypes, road cars and race cars, so seeing just one is a rare event. Having 13 in one place is something really special.
Celebrating F1’s 30th anniversary is the reason for the special event, and it’s the subject of this video from Seen Through the Glass Youtube channel. Organized by Classic Driver and Kiklo Spaces, the event takes place in the UK on September 13 and features a little bit of everything from the world of McLaren F1. Based on Classic Driver13 vehicles were part of the celebrations including five road cars, five GTR race cars and three Longtail racers, one of which was a prototype.
The videos take us through the collection while offering some interesting stories relating to some of the cars. The first relates to a two-tone gray/silver road car that was made especially for the founders of the Uneo Clinic in Japan, the company that sponsored the Le Mans-winning GTR in 1995. The founders wanted to buy an actual race car, but McLaren instead built a road car. one by one with the same color. Another F1 road car was originally given to Michael Andretti, who briefly raced in Formula 1 with McLaren before being replaced by Mika Häkkinen.
The cars are indeed the main attraction, but the gathering also features a special collection of F1-related items. Of particular interest are the special tool chests that every F1 buyer receives. Since McLaren did not have a service center in the 1990s, the equipment will be used by McLaren engineers if on-site maintenance is required at the owner’s site.
With BMW’s 6.1-liter V12 engine producing 618 horsepower, the F1 easily claims the title of the world’s fastest production car with a top speed of 240 mph. That record lasted until 2005 when the Bugatti Veyron hit 253 mph, but 30 years after its F1 debut, it’s still one of the fastest supercars ever made.
Enjoy more supercar content on Chatting About Cars podcast, available below.
