Would anyone happen to know...

...exactly which McLaren F1 it is that resides in the McLaren Showroom on Park Lane in London, England??

Is it XP3, or was that car completely destroyed by the BMW President??

Is it the Clinic Model updated to full production car look?? (makes the most sense to me since it just sits there)

Or, is it a standard F1 road car - and if so, what chassis number is it and who really owns it?? I suppose it could be Ron Dennis's or Mansour Ojjeh's or some other McLaren exec's car simply being stored/displayed. Seems odd to me that they'd just let a production road car sit around like that considering the value and demand for the car.

= = = = =

XO-Tech you might have to field this one, but I thought maybe there are others who have been to the showroom to see that car and would have my answer.

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide. Also, if anyone wants to add photos of this particular F1 to this thread, that would be great too. I'll include a nice one myself. :sun:

>8^)
ER

It's maybe the #001, because in the Top-gear film, they said "this is the chassis number 001, the Mclaren own car" and this car was silver.

But it's only my point of view.

Originally posted by Peloton25
...exactly which McLaren F1 it is that resides in the McLaren Showroom on Park Lane in London, England??

Is it XP3, or was that car completely destroyed by the BMW President??

Is it the Clinic Model updated to full production car look?? (makes the most sense to me since it just sits there)

Or, is it a standard F1 road car - and if so, what chassis number is it and who really owns it?? I suppose it could be Ron Dennis's or Mansour Ojjeh's or some other McLaren exec's car simply being stored/displayed. Seems odd to me that they'd just let a production road car sit around like that considering the value and demand for the car.

= = = = =

XO-Tech you might have to field this one, but I thought maybe there are others who have been to the showroom to see that car and would have my answer.

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide. Also, if anyone wants to add photos of this particular F1 to this thread, that would be great too. I'll include a nice one myself. :sun:

>8^)
ER



we've gone over this b4 (u and me + others) and i think the clinic car is the best bet, why would they let a working car sit in a showroom? well there are answers:

1. It could be stored dry, no liquids meaning it couldn;t be driven because of lack of oil, gas e.t.c

2. its park lane, who in their right mind would try to steal a mclaren out of a public showroom and lets say they did get it out, they wouldn't be able to use it cause everyone would be loookin for it and they couldn't sell it for the same reason.

I WILL ADD TEH DEALER IS PRETTY WELL "FORTIFIED", LOOK AT THE PICS I POSTED. I stayed looking at this car in the moring for i say, about half an hour. then this guy came down from some side door on the street right next to i and proceeded to watch me very carefuly and do what i did (you will see him in the second pic, he is leaning against the glass. then i knew it was time to leave. but this does raise the question, would they guard a car that couldn't be driven with such high security? (bear in mind i was only 15 and looked younger). hopefully when i go this summer i will find out. (if the dealership is open):confused:

security guard

Well, the speakers and sound system that are on display in that showroom are also worth over 100k, so he just might be looking at those, or at the receptionist. I doubt very much he was a security guard checking you out. British security is very discreet. There's often people of all sorts peering into those windows, often with camers/camcorders. I seriously doubt you would draw the police's attention by peering into the windows, even if you were there for hours.

Why do they keep it there? To publicise their company. To promote their product(s). Plus they have a few cars, they gotta keep them somewhere, why not one in their showroom on one of the most prestigious street corners of the world? I don't think it's the clinic car. There's a car in their storage facility that was used to give rides at a lot of events--I think that is the ex-clinic car. The spare chassis and the green LM are also in this storage facility.

According to one of the staff members, it has all the fluids and is started up occasionally, and is in perfect working condition. It will never be sold as it is part of the McLaren collection--personally, I think for the right money just about everything is for sale. What a waste.

Where is that dealer???

Originally posted by faisalkhan
Well, the speakers and sound system that are on display in that showroom are also worth over 100k, so he just might be looking at those, or at the receptionist. I doubt very much he was a security guard checking you out. British security is very discreet. There's often people of all sorts peering into those windows, often with camers/camcorders. I seriously doubt you would draw the police's attention by peering into the windows, even if you were there for hours.

Why do they keep it there? To publicise their company. To promote their product(s). Plus they have a few cars, they gotta keep them somewhere, why not one in their showroom on one of the most prestigious street corners of the world? I don't think it's the clinic car. There's a car in their storage facility that was used to give rides at a lot of events--I think that is the ex-clinic car. The spare chassis and the green LM are also in this storage facility.

According to one of the staff members, it has all the fluids and is started up occasionally, and is in perfect working condition. It will never be sold as it is part of the McLaren collection--personally, I think for the right money just about everything is for sale. What a waste.



good points, but not true. you see he came out of a door to the right of the showroom (imagine the door to be on the right side of the dealer and not the left (for those who don't have full screen activated). he came out and looked at me for about half a minute then started copying what i did. 2nd point, the dealer was closed ruling out the secretary idea. i also didn;t know its started up regularly (this may well be chassis #01).
also this guy came out after i delberatly looked into the camera and made an "evil smile" at it :D
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the clinic car was never able to be driven hence only the engine + the chassis and no linkage between the two/steering wheel etc (i believe)

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sorry no green lm, do u mean XPLM? or maybe the GT road car>?

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the dealer is on park lane in london, 20 mins away from where my grandparents live. if u are ever in london i highly reconmend the trip, exotces everywhere + dealers in porsche, merc, aston, ferrari, rolls and others, and there is a hotel about half way down that is filled with exotics in teh front

Originally posted by faisalkhan
I don't think it's the clinic car. There's a car in their storage facility that was used to give rides at a lot of events--I think that is the ex-clinic car. The spare chassis and the green LM are also in this storage facility.

Thanks for your thoughts on this. We definitely have similar opinions on the Park Lane car. I do know one more person that has seen the car in person recently and I have been meaning to email him to see if he can provide the missing link. I'll do that tonight.

Couple things -
The Clinic Model was built by a prototyping company known as MGA in Coventry, not by McLaren Cars, and was never fitted with a working drivetrain. The car you are thinking of that 's in thier possession that was used as a marketing and demo car is XP5 - the 5th road car prototype and it's painted a dark green color. Last tally on the odometer had it well into the 40,000Kms.

The other car you refer to as the "green LM" in the storage facility is actually the F1 GT Prototype - and it is green. I'm guessing that was just a typo though.

I really have no idea where the Clinic Model has ended up. Since we've almost ruled it out as being the Park Lane showroom car, the only other F1 road car I know of that just sits around collecting dust is in the BMW Museum in Germany. It's a silver car as well - which is the last color I have heard the Clinic Model was painted. If XP3 was ever repaired, and I have no real confirmation on that either way, it's possible that could have been the car given to BMW.

We'll get to the bottom of all of this someday. :D

>8^)
ER

Originally posted by mini magic
(this may well be chassis #01).

XO-Tech has already confirmed that the car in the Park Lane showroom is not #001. The last time he had status on that car it was with an owner in Greater Europe.

Still going.... ;)

>8^)
ER

what is greater europe? didn't know there were two versions...
:)

All I know is that it's better than the 'average europe' ;) :D

Actually - I took that directly from a post made by XOTech - see here:

Originally posted by XOTech
I can say with quite certainty, that the car on display in London is not #001. It is not in England, but rather in greater Europe. I am not certain as to which car it is. It is possible that #001 has moved since the last time I inquired of the car for a client.

That's enough confirmation for me that it's not #001

>8^)
ER

Originally posted by Peloton25

Couple things -
The Clinic Model was built by a prototyping company known as MGA in Coventry, not by McLaren Cars, and was never fitted with a working drivetrain. The car you are thinking of that 's in thier possession that was used as a marketing and demo car is XP5 - the 5th road car prototype and it's painted a dark green color. Last tally on the odometer had it well into the 40,000Kms.

The other car you refer to as the "green LM" in the storage facility is actually the F1 GT Prototype - and it is green. I'm guessing that was just a typo though.

I really have no idea where the Clinic Model has ended up. Since we've almost ruled it out as being the Park Lane showroom car, the only other F1 road car I know of that just sits around collecting dust is in the BMW Museum in Germany. It's a silver car as well - which is the last color I have heard the Clinic Model was painted. If XP3 was ever repaired, and I have no real confirmation on that either way, it's possible that could have been the car given to BMW.

We'll get to the bottom of all of this someday. :D

>8^)
ER
No I wasn't thinking of XP5. I know that car well.

There's another silver one in their storage room. IT's got a rollbar and was used for demo rides. It is available, although extensive work would have to be done to make it comfortable. Here's the link to it.
http://tvrfreak.com/albums/Trips/2002%2006%2007%20London/05%20McLaren/DSC02855.JPG

The other car in the same storage facility is the dark green GT prototype. I referred to it as an LM. My mistake.

Rgds,
Faisal.

That's the West-McLaren demo car. It's just a 1995 F1 GTR that like many of the other early GTR's has now been converted for road use. The car was used several times to promote the West-McLaren F1 and Lorry racing teams at events that were labeled "West-McLaren Adrenaline programme".

I'm not 100% positive which GTR that is, but I believe strongly that it may be GTR #09R which has no racing history and was orignally painted Uneo Grey/Black. I do know for sure that the West-McLaren GTR demo car was a 1995 GTR that wasn't used in the 1996 racing season. It's possible that it could be one of the Gulf Racing team's cars, as they replaced their 1995 GTR's with 1996 models instead of simply upgrading them to 1996-spec as other teams like Dave Price Racing chose to do with their two cars. There were one or two other 1995 F1 GTRs that didn't race in 1996 either. Based on the paint scheme of this car and what is listed for GTR #09R, it does make more sense that it is this one.

One of those retired Gulf GTRs did end up racing again under different sponsorship at the 1997 FIA race at Silverstone. It also attempted to qualify at another FIA race in 1997, but didn't make the cut and the team later replaced the car with a Lotus GT1 for the rest of the season.

>8^)
ER

i would have broken that window, and blast my new mclaren outta there!

I was in London for Christmas vacation, and our hotel was very close to this McLaren. One day we were driving along the street parallel to it in a taxi, and I saw the car and started freaking out demanding that we go see it before we leave. We took a walk the next day and I got to take a few pictures with it :D

Very nice story - I think that is exactly how I would have reacted. :D

Do you have more photos you can share or possibly a larger version of that one?? Thanks in advance.

>8^)
ER

I do .. but the problem is that my dad was taking pics and so was I .. but mine are the better ones. My dad`s were taken with a digital camera and mine weren`t and my scanner`s still down so when I get it up and running I`ll post them!

That's cool - I'm a patient man... ;)

Off Topic: Nice car you have there. I drove the SLK 32 AMG recently and was extremely impressed. It needed a stick shift though, to improve the driver interaction and fun factor. It was still very fast though.

>8^)
ER

Thanks. I didn`t want it at first, I wanted a BMW 325i but oh well. It`s pretty impressive, but not too good on rain.