#$*&!!! Full Christies Info Released!!

is this a normal F1 with LM (GTR) body kits, or its a GTR, funny looking air scoop thing in front of the door.

It's an F1 road car (#073) with an uprated engine - supposedly LM-spec, but there has been some conflicting info on that. The body is mostly the HDF Kit or LM-Kit, but on this particular car it's referred to as the "HDF Plus" as it has those louvers on the front wings which add even more downforce.

>8^)
ER

I'm pretty sure the louvres on the wings above the front wheels do nothing for downforce - they're more for venting hot air from the brakes. Although I suspect that their primary function is aesthetic.

Am I right in thinking the brothers who owned cars 011 and 073 were South American...?

PS Love the forum - full of splendid information.

I'm certain that you are wrong about the louvers - they most definitely would pull air from underneath the car lowering the pressure there and increasing it along the top and sides of the car improving downforce. It was explained in more detail earlier - possibly in a different thread.

Also, the two brothers are of Middle Eastern descent.

>8^)
ER

Although I suspect that their primary function is aesthetic.

What do you think Gordon Murray would say to this? I'm fairly sure most of the words would be unprintable...

Please bear in mind the reason why the F1 is different to all other cars - nothing is purely aesthetic.

Hey Peleton25, i was lucky enough to get up and close to a dark silver bluish colour mclaren a while back, i have to admit, as much stylish the outside was, the interior was absolutly stunning.... just a question, can you please tell me what all these buttons do near the gear stick? i think there are two little panels on both side am i correct? do u have a good photo of them? ever since i saw the car, i can't get it out of my head... thanks man!!

Please tell us more about this McLaren F1 encounter. Where did you see this car? Do you know the owner? Do you know the chassis number? Feel free to share anything you can. :cool:

As for the panels on the tunnels to the right and left of the driver's seat, I can describe what each switch does to the best of my ability. Those with first hand knowledge can feel free to correct me if necessary.

Here's a shot of the right side controls just behind the shifter.

http://a7.cpimg.com/image/F9/31/28198137-258f-028001E0-.jpg

The detail of this photo make it fairly obvious what each button and knob do, but I'll lay it out just in case. Top right in the photo is the 'reverse gear lockout'. Most cars have this built into the gear shift lever or have a spring loaded gate to make it more difficult to access reverse gear. In the McLaren you must pull up the lever in order to open the gate to reverse. The next row of buttons is for the interior lights, door lock switch, and recirculation switch for the climate control. Cockpit temperature is controlled by the rotary dial on the left and fan speed is controlled by the dial on the right. Below those is the right side window switch and adjustment control for the outside mirrors. I believe that the temperature control knob is pressed in to activate the air conditioning. There's also a small LED light next to the snow flake symbol below the 'lock' button to indicate when it is active.

Pictures of the left side are a bit harder to come by. That's kind of surprising considering that's the side you're supposed to enter from so techincally that door gets opened more often. Anyway here's the best shot I could come up with:

http://a7.cpimg.com/image/99/36/28198297-c775-01F80162-.jpg

That's the handbrake (or emergency brake) on the top right. It's somewhat unique in that you raise it to set the brake and then can lower the handle back down to sit flush unlike most cars. To release the brake, you raise the lever again and then press the button as you lower it. The dial closest to the front is the Power/Volume knob for the CD audio system. The next dial controls the Play/Pause and I believe can be used to cycle through each song as well (not too clear on this). It might be that you press it to start and stop and turn it to scan through a song, but I'm just speculating here. The two small buttons below the handbrake and above the window switch are for base and treble control. The last small button in the lower left is for changing discs/tracks.

Other interesting things to note are the buttons on the pods to the left and right of the gauge cluster behind the steering wheel. The left pod has three knobs. The top one controls the rear brake foil or wing which can be manually adjusted to two different heights, or left in automatic mode. Below that is a button for the rear fog light. Beneath that is a two-position defrost switch. I'm not sure what each of the two positions does. Later cars also have a red 'Exhaust Temp' LED mounted in this pod. The right pod also has three knobs. The top one is the headlight switch, the middle is for the emergency flashers or hazard lights, and the lower one is the intermittent speed control for the windshield wipers. Also, later cars have another red LED here labeled "Trans Lock" which I will explain later. You can see most of the knobs I mentioned in this photo of Mr. Selldorff's #007.

http://a3.cpimg.com/image/F5/5A/28199413-3b19-01F4015E-.jpg

On the steering column are two stalks sourced from BMW with the left one controlling the blinkers or indicators as some call them. The right one controls the wipers and windsheild washer fluid spray. Behind the steering wheel mounted to the hub of the wheel you'll find two small flaps which are similar to paddle shifters found on some cars, though a bit smaller. The flap on the left side is the high beam switch and the right one is used for the horn. Good photos of those flaps have proved hard to locate, but I have highlighted them in this photo:

http://a8.cpimg.com/image/90/5F/28199568-5fd8-025801B8-.jpg

Also, the key which is goes into the chassis plaque isn't actually an ignition key, but actually is used to lock the transmission into gear to help prevent the vehicle from being stolen I assume. It also controls the power to the electrical system as it would in most other cars. The actual ignition of the engine is controlled by a starter button located under a flap just to the right and ahead of the shifter. Here's another photo of #007 to illustrate the location of those items:

http://a2.cpimg.com/image/B4/60/26596532-48fb-02800198-.jpg

And here's a shot of the start button with it's spring-loaded cover lifted:

http://speed.supercars.net/boardpics/2003-10-29/1745211-Peloton25a.jpg

That will end my tour of the McLaren F1 cockpit for today. Like I said, if anyone wants to add or offer a correction to anything I have written, feel free as I'm always up for learning something new as well.

>8^)
ER

YOU ARE THE MAN Peleton25, thanks HEAPS for the info, i am copying everything down!! thanks man...

well, i think i should give you more info on my encounter with the mclaren f1.

it was on a Friday afternoon about 4 pm, me and two friends of mine and my girlfriend went to the city to get something to eat, it was sometime in mid July last year, and then we decide to go to Crown Casino.

I included a map here, it not in a very good qulity, its a map of Melbourne City, and the red bits are just to show you where it everything was, the big red dot (hopefully) you can see it it Queensbridge tower.

any way, as we were walking towards the intersection of whiteman st and queensbridge which you can see right hand side is the casino and left is Queensbridge tower. and we saw a lot of people standing around under the tower about 100 metres off the intersection on the side of the Queensbridge tower. i thought it had been car accident or soemthing, then what caught me was the colour of the car i looked through the poeple. it was very distinct, dark grey, reflects quite a lot, far away looked bit blueish. so me and my girlfriend went over just to have a look at the car cause i was interested in the colour. and then when we snuged into the crowed people, i realise it was a MCLAREN F1 and i just shouted to my friend who standing in the intersection, "its a Mclaren DUDE!!!"
c:\map.jpeg
any way, the car is stunning, i touched the car, paint's smoothness, oh my lord . i notice there are a few things that is different than the normal mclarens i saw in the pictures, the wiper has a rectangular shape thing which is chrome with Mclaren signage ingraved on it! i wish i had a camera and took pictures. and i had a look inside, can't really see much, the window is quite dark, looked bluish too. i can see the seats are blue and has white bits, the gear lever was either white, or silver or chrome, i honestly can't see properly and i saw some buttons and that was it, as i couldn't really see very clear.

any way, my girlfriend wasn't very happy that i stayed so long to see a car..... A CAR, this is not just a CAR!!! but anyway, we went to the casino, we stayed for bit more than two hours, and as we went out i was just curious enough to want to go and see if the mclaren was still there.

and when i got there, i saw the car pulling out of the parking lot and did a u turn, came towards us. passed us slowly. DAMN!!!! never forget that moment, was quite jealous to be honest.

At first i thought was one of lindsay Fox's toy (for those don't know, he is a local truck tycoon LINFOX, owns many cars, XJ220, F50, Enzo, SL300 Gullwing, and he just orded a SLR) so its natural to think its him.

but when the driver drove by, I sort of saw the driver, wasn't very clear, but the guy was about 30 i think. average build. doesn't seem like lindsay fox, he is 60 something i think and chabby.

I know there is a Silver Mclaren in Melbourne, Number plate MCLF1, but this car is different....!! so everyone who live in melbourne, look out for this one, its unique, number plate B.KSR, its white base, slim line, black letters, and i've never seen number plate like that before.. ever!

i've heard rumors that this "person" lives around Toorak area, near Williams St and Toorak Rd; one of my friend's friend was driving around that area, and the car went passed him and turned into a small street, and i think he followed him. that person is overseas at the moment, and when he gets back i'll ask him exactly where he followed him till and i will be waiting right on the street unitil i see that car!!!

Thanks guys for putting up this boring story, sorry about that. well Peleton25 i don't know the chassis number of the car, but when my friend's friend gets back i'll ask him where abouts the car was, and i'll see if i can talk to the owner without looking like a stalker :)

i'll up date you guys if i have anything....

and i;ll shut up for now.....

here is the map

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/68531untitled.JPG

Just going back to louvres for a second (I've been picking the brains of an aerodynamics expert, apologies if this explanation has appeared before but I find it fascinating): a spinning wheel will create a pressure under the wheelarch. This causes lift. To reduce the pressure, vents or louvres can be cut into the front wing - it's more to do with reducing lift than increasing downforce. Apparently this development is rarely put on a first generation design; it tends to be added only after feedback from your racing driver who's felt the car go light whilst blasting down the Mulsanne Straight...
The speeds required for the pressure to become noticeable need to be very high and sustained, which is why I think these louvres on a road car aren't strictly necessary - and hey, it's not as if GM plonked them on the road car in the first place. Although, just for the GT-chic, I'd still have 'em...

Mr Bernoulli - believe me, I know the F1's no-compromise ethos. It's the greatest car in the world and I can't see anything ever beating it. And does the name Stuart Harris mean anything to you?

it's more to do with reducing lift than increasing downforce.

Very true but I think the argument was more about whether they were functional or not, rather than their specific function (although I doubt your average owner would know the difference between reduced and negative lift!)

The speeds required for the pressure to become noticeable need to be very high and sustained, which is why I think these louvres on a road car aren't strictly necessary - and hey, it's not as if GM plonked them on the road car in the first place.

Yeah I suppose so but it would seem silly not to include the whole shebang as part of the HDK ;)

does the name Stuart Harris mean anything to you?

Maybe...

Maybe...

Thought so...

Ok that brings the McLaren total in Aus to an official 3!!! Yay. B KSR. hmmm:aus:Lidnsay:aus:Dean:aus:B.KSR
-Mike:aus:

Hey Mclaren Mike,

can you please tell me if MCLF1 belong to Lindsay Fox? or this Dean person? if not, whats the story with the Dean's Mclaren.

i'll update you with B.KSR as soon as i get more info on it thanks for sharing man!!

aparently one silver one was crashed and at some point there was a white one there

Yer again, Dean Wills director of Coke Amatil owns one here in a suburb called Belrose. Thats strange because my friend said his Dad knows Dean and the number plate was MCLREN. Typical. My other friend went onto lindsay fox's property, saw his helicopter. He said his garage is hidden under a grass area that reveals itself by lifting up and closing once an object has entered, neat ah.
As my father has spoken to Dean before on one occasion, he actually asked if I could see the F1 (no problem, he said). But there was no comformation. He will soon ring again, I have asked him to ask Dean if we cannot take a look, what is the chassis #. And what is the bloody colour (white or one of the 4 silvers). If I am successful in viewing the masterpiece, I will ask him to post here and get you guys to give me a list of questions to ask him.
Yes Mini it did get crashed by a Sydney mechanic and I am suprised no information has risen from that or the charity event he lent his F1 to back in '98.
I'll keep you posted.

BTW 1: V12UNLESH, is this McLaren in Melbourne often seen? or only vary rarely (I'd imagine the later response.)

BTW 2: In Driving Ambition, is that a picture of the LCC Rocket on Page 23 on "theory of machines 1 I.G. Murray?

-Mike:aus:

Mike - Great find on pg. 23 of D.A. That does resemble an LCC rocket a lot.

mike, yes it is. well spotted ;)