Chassis #13R listed for sale by Kidston - Car Forums and Automotive Chat

Peloton25

08-06-2009, 11:13 AM

Hot on the heels of offering chassis #068, Kidston are bringing another F1 to market - this time a road legal F1 GTR. The pictures are quite stunning - I wish they were hi-res! :cool:

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1996 McLaren F1 GTR
Chassis no. 013R

Price on request

* One of just 28 F1 GTRs built
* International racing history
* Fully documented factory roadgoing conversion
* European road registered

The importance of the McLaren F1 is not that it was, for seven years, the world’s fastest production car, nor that it remains the fastest naturally aspirated production car. Its importance comes from its unique blending of innovative design, advanced materials and exceptional adaptability and drivability. The McLaren F1 is a pure driver’s car conceived and perfected without the myriad technical gimmicks that all of its competitors rely upon to supplement the experience of driving.

The McLaren F1 also comes from the uniquely fertile and creative environment of McLaren Racing, the Formula One institution of Ron Dennis, Mansour Ojjeh and technical leader Gordon Murray. Conceived at the end of the 1988 Formula One season, it took the McLaren team less than three years from first discussions and concept sketches to the introduction of the prototype McLaren F1 in May 1991 during Monaco GP week.

The depths of McLaren’s technical expertise and imagination is abundantly demonstrated in the F1’s unmatched technical specifications including its carbon fibre monocoque, active aerodynamics, lavish use of exotic lightweight metals and composites and its creative centre driving position.

Even more proof of McLaren’s pool of talent, skill and facilities is that during all three years the F1 was in development – and it was McLaren’s first attempt to build a road car, with all the regulatory, consumer and safety constraints and considerations which that added to the project’s complexity – McLaren won both the driver’s and constructors’ World Championships in Formula One.

Although it is technically advanced the McLaren F1 incorporates none of the driving assists now commonplace on ultra-high performance cars. There is no power steering, no power assist on the 4-pot Brembo brakes, no electro-hydraulic selection for the six-speed transverse manual gearbox, no clutch pedal boost, no traction control (aside from the Torsen 40% limited slip differential) and no electronic stability control. Only the aerodynamics have any kind of power assist. A pair of fans draw air from under the body in a driver-controlled “High Downforce” mode (recalling Murray’s precedent-setting Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46 “fan car” of 1978), and the spoiler on the rear deck of the F1 road car deploys when the brakes are applied to move the aerodynamic centre of pressure forward to enhance braking balance with the F1’s designed 42%/ 58% static weight distribution. Power comes from a 6,064cc 60° alloy V-12 engine with 86mm bore and 87mm stroke designed and built by BMW Motorsports specifically for the McLaren F1 and sharing no parts with any other BMW engines.

Deliveries began in 1993 and 65 examples of the road version were built from a total of 107 F1s, which includes six prototypes, five LM versions, three GT long tail road cars and 28 GTR racing cars.

The McLaren F1 is inherently one of the most rare and desirable of all ultra-high performance automobiles and the list of owners reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of the motoring world: Nick Mason, Ralph Lauren, Rowan Atkinson and Jay Leno are just some of the names who are lucky enough to count an F1 in their garage, and most rate it as their favourite drivers car.

Performance is breathtaking. In addition to a top speed of 372 kph (231 mph) in its standard configuration with 7,500 rpm rev limiter, one of the prototypes with the rev limiter disabled clocked 391 kph (243 mph) at 7,800 rpm. Acceleration has been timed at 3.2 seconds 0-60 mph and 6.3 seconds to 100 mph. It will swallow a standing kilometer in 19.6 seconds with a terminal velocity of 285 kph (177 mph).

It was perhaps inevitable that, although conceived as the ultimate road car, a racing version of the F1 would appeal to gentlemen drivers- very wealthy ones. 1994 saw the birth of the BPR Global GT Series, recalling the halcyon days of the World Sportscar Championship, and major manufacturers immediately took an interest. The Ferrari F40 and Porsche 911 were natural contenders, and even Bugatti’s EB110 made an appearance, but the car everyone wanted to see- naturally- was of course the F1. And so, encouraged by F1 road car owning privateers such as Thomas Bscher and Ray Bellm, Gordon Murray and his team at McLaren set out to make the F1 suitable for the track. Thanks to the integrity of the original design, changes were surprisingly few: various cooling ducts now punctuated the bodywork, notably one in the nose and one in each flank, whilst a fixed rear spoiler kept the tail anchored to the ground at high speed. The interior received a roll cage and minimal trim (electronics were moved to the right-hand seat) and carbon brakes replaced the road car versions. Due to racing rules, the F1 GTR’s engine ran an air restrictor but still pumped out 600bhp. The result? Victory at Le Mans first time out, not to mention the highest practice speed (281km/h on the Mulsanne).

The 1996 season provided the opportunity to further refine the GTR’s design, particularly in view of new challengers such as Porsche’s GT1 and the Ferrari F50 GT, although the latter never amounted to much. The ’96 spec GTR received extended front and rear bodywork to aid stability, the gearbox was lightened but also beefed up to handle the strain of racing, and overall weight was reduced by 38kg. The ’96 GTR was the fastest of all F1 racers in straight line speed, reaching 330km/h on the Mulsanne that year: 13km/h faster than the ’97 long tail F1s and 6km/h faster than the Porsche GT1.

Number ‘013R’ is one of two 1996 F1 GTRs supplied new to Team Goh in Japan to contend the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship under the Team Lark banner. Driven by Naoki Hattori and Ralf Schumacher, its racing record includes three first places, contributing to victory in the 1996 championship for Team Lark:

Suzuka- FIRST
Mount Fuji- Retired
Sendai- 22nd
Mount Fuji 2- Retired
Sugo- FIRST
Mine- FIRST

Into 1997, chassis ‘013R’ contested the Suzuka 1,000 Kms driven by Tsuchiya/ Nakaya/ Sekiya and finished 9th, followed by the 1997 Le Mans 24 Hours driven by Tsuchiya/ Nakaya/ Ayles (retired).

Following the end of competition for most F1 GTRs, some went on to a life of gentle retirement in museums and private collections, others were again campaigned in anger in the GT90s Revival Series and a handful were bought by private owners for use on the road. No small task, but the McLaren factory accommodated those with the means to own what has been described as ”the ultimate version of the F1 road car”. The conversion, which cost approximately £200,000, is extensive and includes raising the ride height, new fuel tanks and filler and removing the air restrictors to liberate the engine’s full power.

After its Japanese sojourn ‘013R’ passed briefly to an Australian collector before acquisition by the present owner, a German enthusiast who has owned all manner of performance cars ranging from a 1920s Grand Prix Bugatti to a Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR (the F1’s track nemesis), in 2005.

He entrusted the car to McLaren Automotive with instructions to make it road legal in the UK under the Single Vehicle Approval rules. Bills for this work, totalling the amount detailed above, are available for inspection together with McLaren’s detailed resume of what was done. The owner specifically requested that the car’s race livery and patina be retained in view of its competition history; should the next custodian wish to reverse this, it is much less expensive to repaint a GTR than a standard road car. Equally, McLaren Automotive confirm it would not be difficult to reconvert the GTR to racing suspension- this car runs a lower ride height than other conversions, again in deference to its history.

This is a rare opportunity to acquire one of the nine 1996 McLaren F1 GTRs built from a total of 28 GTRs. Combining international racing history- essential for long term collectability- with ‘drive-it-now’ usability, ‘013R’ provides the best of both worlds. Any McLaren F1 is acknowledged by experts to be the paramount supercar, prized by collectors and coveted by drivers who seek the ultimate road-going thrills, but this race winning, road legal GTR offers the undiluted experience.

1996 McLaren F1 GTR - Chassis no. 013R (http://www.kidston.com/kidston-Motor-Cars/coming-soon/1996-McLaren-F1-GTR)

I was a little surprised at the cost listed noted for the road legal conversion - £200,000 is a tremendous amount in my mind - but the increased usability likely makes that worthwhile.

>8^)
ER