The British auto manufacturer Mclaren is synonymous with supercars. The brand is credited for rolling off some of the world’s fastest cars. McLaren was founded by a renowned racer Bruce McLaren in 1963. Therefore, the brand was initially named Bruce McLaren Motor Racing.
Many other interesting McLaren car facts need to unfold. Here we have elaborated on the most interesting facts of McLaren.
Interesting McLaren Car Facts
The McLaren motor company has operated in the market under the same name for seventeen years. Later in 1980, it was merged with the Project 4 Racing team and was named McLaren Automotive. Some of the most popular McLaren car models include F1, P1, Senna and 12C.
Other than the obvious, let’s discuss some McLaren car facts you didn’t know.
The First McLaren Car
The first McLaren car was the now-legendary McLaren F1. The car was launched in 1992 and it set the ground for what the automaker produced in the future using its race car technology and knowledge. F1 also set a new record of being the fastest production car in the world.
To date, the car is viewed as one of the greatest road cars produced, comprising of a V12 engine churning out 618-horsepower and 3.2-second 0-96-km/h time, advanced car suspension design and carbon monocoque chassis.
Founded by a Professional Racer
McLaren was founded by a professional motor racer, Bruce McLaren. Bruce won his first motor race at the age of 13 and at 21, he won the American Grand Prix. McLaren won the Can-Am title in 1967 and 1969, and his teammate Denny Hulme won the title in 1968. Bruce also lost his life at CanAm at the age of just 32. In 1970, the innovative racing professional car racer lost his life on the Goodwood Circuit in the UK as he was testing McLaren M8D – a Can-Am prototype car.
First Logo
The first logo of McLaren was designed by artist Michael Turner. The logo consists of a Kiwi bird in the centre and the company name at the top. The usage of the Kiwi bird represents the connection of Bruce McLaren with his birthplace, New Zealand.
However, when McLaren became a globalised brand the old logo was replaced with the current one.
Eco-friendliness of McLaren’s
McLaren is an eco-friendly brand and takes precautions for reducing the carbon footprint of its vehicles. Around 60% of the total waste generated by the company is recycled. In fact, McLaren also unveiled a plug-in hybrid P1 model. It contains electric motors paired with a 3.6-Litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine that can create a total of 903 hp.
Unique Colour
The original colour scheme of McLaren was black and grey. This colour was changed to the iconic papaya orange. The core reason for this change was the visual distinction of cars on television screens and race tracks. The strategy works perfectly for McLaren.
Pioneer of Carbon Fibre
McLaren is not only famous for breaking automotive records, it is also a pioneer of carbon fibre bodies. Until 1981, carbon fibre was partially used in car manufacturing. It was the McLaren MP4/1, the first vehicle to be built completely from carbon fibre.
To put it simply, MP4/1 was the first Formula One car that featured a carbon fibre monocoque chassis. This car was way ahead of its time and above its competition, it was strong yet light, agile, and had the ability to endure heavy impacts.
The car won first at the British Grand Prix, and it also protected driver John Watson at a 225-km/h crash at Monza the very same year. Formula One race cars followed suit, but McLaren had already taken the lead. Moreover, McLaren also introduced carbon fibre technology to road cars along with its F1 road car.
Fibre was used for the exterior frame and chassis, which make this car lightweight, strong and durable. Now, a number of hybrid supercar bodies are manufactured from carbon fibre.
McLaren Made another Road Car after Ten Years
In 1998, the F1 was no longer being produced and McLaren Cars was inactive for 10 years. But after a decade in 2007, the company started playing around with a Ferrari 360 as their test mule.
The company hired a Moroccan-born designer, Frank Stephenson as design director who led the MP4-12C. Later on, the name was shortened to 12C, and the car was built and designed entirely by McLaren.
The car was powered by a V8 engine that made 592 hp, and weighed 2,868 pounds. Just like its F1 ancestor, the 12C used a one-piece carbon-fibre tub chassis with a hydraulic suspension system and other technical features. Currently, McLaren is included in the list of upcoming hybrid cars in 2022 because of its hybrid sports car named McLaren Artura, unveiling in 2022.
Expertise in NASCAR
NASCAR stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It is a privately owned organisation that provides custom-built vehicles to racing companies. McLaren is their target spare parts supplier of this organisation. Electric motors are the most in-demand products manufactured by McLaren.
F1 Engine
The most interesting F1 car fact is its gold lined engine. This ultimate supercar was equipped with a 6.1-Litre V12 engine that can provide a car with a top speed of 371 km/h. The heavy V12 engine also produces a large amount of heat alongside.
This heat was capable of melting the outer carbon fibre body. Therefore, to reduce the impact of heat, the engine bay was lined with gold foil. The gold foil reflects heat away from the carbon body and reduces its negative impact.
McLaren F1 is the Fastest Production Car Till Date
McLaren F1 released in 1992 is known as the world’s fastest naturally-aspirated production car to date. The F1 car models were produced from 1992 to 1998, they had a maximum speed of 391 km/h – this speed was 69 km/h faster than the company’s own speed estimation upon release. Therefore, McLaren was considered a hybrid car with futuristic features at that time. To this day, McLaren F1 retains the world record.
Dominant Racing Car
The 1960s and 1970s was the era of McLaren. It was one of the most dominant sports vehicle companies, as the majority of motor races prefer McLaren’s model for racing.
McLaren is credited for winning the Indy 500 motor race three times. Moreover, in the Formula 1 race of 1988, 15 out of 16 cars were from McLaren.
McLaren’s Animated Series
McLaren always opts for a unique branding strategy. Airing an animated cartoon series was also a part of this regime. McLaren produced a cartoon series for its Youtube channel that was also aired on UK’s Sky Sport 1 TV channel. The story revolves around legendary motor racers.
These were all the amazing McLaren car facts. In terms of agility and advanced engineering, McLaren’s cars are still in the top-tier. If you are interested in driving these supercars, browse through these used McLaren cars for sale in the UAE.
Stay tuned to UAE’s top auto blog for more information on McLaren.
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