1993 McLaren F1
Minichamps - 530133436 (diecast)
Published 02/16/19
The McLaren F1 was the manufacturer’s first production road car. Originally conceived by Gordon Murray, it was first unveiled in May of 1992. The car was truly groundbreaking, with a race-inspired design. It had three seats, with the driver’s seat in the middle, and it was a comfortable ride. The F1 was the first production road car to use a complete carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) monocoque chassis structure. For attachment points for the suspension system, McLaren used aluminum and magnesium, inserted directly into the CFRP. All that guaranteed a very light chassis.
The engine of the F1 was the S70/2, from BMW. A V12 at 60º with 6064 cm³, it counted with DOHC, 48 valves and variable valve timing to produce 618 hp. Since the carbon fiber body and monocoque were sensible to heat, the heat generated by the engine was a problem. To solve that, 16 g of gold was used as a gold foil that revested the whole engine compartment. In other words, the F1 had a gold-wrapped engine.
The car managed a 0 to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds, with a top speed of 386 km/h. Along with the engine and chassis, aerodynamics was also a key aspect to the car. Just to put things into perspective, the F1 has a drag coefficient of 0.32, while the Bugatti Veyron has 0.36. And until the Veyron, from 1992 to 1995, it was also the world’s fastest production car. Therefore, fast and comfortable.
The McLaren F1 was never a huge favorite of mine in terms of super cars. However, it’s a VERY impressive vehicle in terms of engineering. AND it won Le Mans. So in other words, it’s a model I couldn’t ignore for the W-143 garage. This one is from Minichamps, and while it may not be a high-end model, it sure is a nice one. In scale it’s pretty neat, maybe not fantastic but another “honest Minichamps”.