In 1995, McLaren F1 GTR #01R won the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright in it's first time debut, managing to beat even the faster LMP Prototype race cars. Not only that, four other McLaren F1 GTRs also finished the epic endurance race in respectable positions of 3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th, on their first time at Le Mans as well.
To celebrate and commemorate this momentous occassion in their racing history, Gordon Murray and McLaren took the decision to build the ultimate iteration of the F1, a road-going street-legal version of the 1995-spec F1 GTR, to be christened the F1 LM (LM being short for Le Mans). Just five F1 LMs would be built, representing the 5 F1 GTRs that finished Le Mans that year, plus the development prototype XP1LM. More than just a high-speed road-going trophy car with attitude or a way to sell more F1s, McLaren intended the F1 LM to be a way for normal drivers to experience the GTR's devastating performance on the road in a slightly more usable manner.
Each F1 LM began life as the same carbon composite monocoque tub used by other versions of the F1, but there the similarities ended. Engine, chassis, suspension and aerodynamics were all identical to the 1995 F1 GTR, and in some distinct cases even improved.
The engine was the BMW S70/2 GTR 6064cc V12 engine, adapted to run without the race car's mandatory intake restrictors for even more power. With re-mapped ignition, optimized fuel curves and better injection, plus higher-lift camshafts and a mildly higher compression ratio, the improved GTR engine eventually produced a maximum of 680Bhp at 7800rpm with an incredible 8500rpm redline. The engine optimization also resulted in a peak torque output of 520Ib-Ft at a very tractable 4500rpm, a vital characteristic for what was still supposed to be a road car engine. Due to it's unique nature, the powerplant was rechristened the BMW S70/2 GTR LM V12.
To cope with the higher power and torque outputs, the LM was given the F1 GTR's dry-sumped straight-cut gearbox - but equipped with a special close-ratio gearset for even more scintillating acceleration, coupled with the heavy-duty gun-drilled drive shafts and tripod CV joints of the GTR. "The LM isn't going to be as fast as the original F1 but it'll be more fun," explained Gordon Murray. "It could go faster but I've geared it to do about 220mph in top with a quicker shift and really close ratios to make the most of the extra rev range."
Ironically, the LM's suspension hardware was borrowed from the F1 Road Car rather than the GTR, but with much firmer springs and dampers than standard. The mounting points are also solid- rather than compliant-bushed for extra stiffness and control, and the engine is fixed to the chassis by solid mounts. Wheels and tyres were bespoke OZ Racing GTR-style 5-spoke magnesium alloy wheels (with 10.85-inch wide front rims) shod with Michelin Pilot Sport SX-MXX3 road-legal semi-slick tyres utilizing a bespoke rubber compound. Also, instead of the GTR's carbon brake discs, the standard Road Car's braking system was employed instead, albeit enhanced with the GTR95 Active Brake Cooling System. The intention was to solve the standard F1's slight high-speed handling foibles and bring the LM's cornering performance envelope closer to that of the GTR, whilst still retaining sufficient compliance for regular road use.
To reduce weight and improve aerodynamics, the LM was shorn of the standard Road Car's active aerodynamic systems, and was instead equipped with the 1995 F1 GTR's body aerodynamics kit, but with a few changes. Two vents in the front bumper that, on the GTR, fed cooling air through the central chassis beams through to the engine bay were blanked off to reduce aerodynamic drag. The twin bonnet vents were reduced to a single one to feed the LM's rudimentary cabin ventilation system. The front wheelarches were swollen out a la GTR to accommodate the wider front track, while unique full-length side sills were fitted to smooth airflow down the car's flanks. At the rear, the LM utilized the GTR's rear valance with an enlarged integrated diffuser, and unrestricted by racing regulations, it was given a new full-width dual-plane adjustable carbon composite wing spoiler.
Although the higher drag associated with these aerodynamic changes restricted the LM's top speed to 'only' 225Mph (362Km/h) compared to the standard F1 Road Car's 240.1Mph (386Km/h), coupled with the chassis upgrades and new wheels and tyres, they enable the LM to accelerate and corner with much higher devastating force than the Road Car.
On the inside, the LM was endowed with arguably the most evocative interior of any F1, and weight-saving was a high priority as well. The standard Road Car's sound insulation and luxury trimmings were all removed, leaving just a pared-back GTR-style interior rich in exposed carbon fiber composites with slightly more room and an extra seat due to the absence of the heavy steel roll-cage, race electronics and wiring looms. The driver gets a new ultra-lightweight race-spec bucket seat trimmed in McLaren Historic Papaya Orange suede, plus a lightweight black suede steering wheel with a quick-release boss embossed with an LM V12 logo in the same Papaya hue. The 2 lucky passengers sit on the carbon fiber chassis-integrated seat housing panel cavities themselves, with thin suede padding providing a slight degree of comfort. Gear-shifter and handbrake were pared back to their bare titanium bones, whilst a unique instrument cluster made from thinner-gauge alloy, with a carbon fiber fronting and LM-specific scripts, was fitted. The heavy electric windows were swapped out for fixed polycarbonate panels, or alternatively an identical set with manual sliding center sections. Leaving some concession for practical road use, the LM retains the Road Car's electric-adjust mirrors and heated windscreen, the controls for these being housed in a new carbon fiber panel mounted to the right of the instrument binnacle alongside the ignition and starter switches for the LM's unique ignition system. Noise-cancelling headphone mufflers were also provided for the driver and each passenger, linked to a Peltor helicopter-rated intercom system, to allow conversation between the car's occupants and also protect their hearing from the pure race-bred V12's banshee scream at over 6000rpm, coupled with the lack of sound insulation and whine of the straight-cut gearbox.
As a result of all the obsessive weight saving measures, the F1 LM ended up with only 1062Kg of dry weight, making it the lightest of all true road-going McLaren F1s, and giving it a new record Power-to-Weight Ratio of 640Bhp/Ton.
To signify it's status as the ultimate high-performance F1 variant, McLaren intended to paint all 5 F1 LMs in the identical McLaren Historic Papaya Orange colour (although 2 of these were altered for a certain F1 customer). All exposed carbon fiber surfaces inside and out including the front splitter and rear wing spoiler were mirror-polished to a high degree in order to show off the technical weave pattern of their materials. As a finishing touch, McLaren had each car's chassis plaque, Papaya Orange-painted V12 engine cam covers, and rear wing end-plates embossed with the famous GTR 24 Heures du Mans Winner 1995 Laurels Wreath Logo. Each F1 LM was built and finished to the same high technical specifications, quality standards and attention to detail that McLaren are so renowned for.
The story didn't end there, however. It wasn't until three years later in 1999 that the F1 LM truly proved to the world what it was really capable of. In a closed test at RAF Alconbury, XP1LM scorched the timing gear to record 0-100Mph in 6.7 seconds, and 0-100Mph-0 in 11.5 seconds, both new world records for production road sports cars at the time, and still seriously quick even today by any standard.
It's what happened when the ultimate road car went beyond the ultimate. The F1 LM remains one of the quickest ultra high performance focused road supercars in the world, as well as being a true race car for the road in every sense of the word.
McLaren F1 LM
Length: 4365mm
Width: 1820mm
Height: 1120mm
Ground clearance: 100mm
Wheelbase: 2718mm
Front track: 1570mm
Rear track: 1464mm
Dry weight: 1062Kg
Engine: BMW Motorsport S70/2 GTR LM 6064cc V12 engine
Maximum power: 680Bhp @ 7800rpm, 8500rpm redline
Peak torque: 520Ib-Ft @ 4500rpm
Power-to-Weight Ratio: 640Bhp/Ton
Torque-to-Weight Ratio: 490Ib-Ft/Ton
0-100Km/h(62Mph): 2.9 seconds
0-160Km/h(100Mph): 6.7 seconds
0-160Km/h(100Mph)-0: 11.5 seconds
XP1LM - Development prototype, and the first F1 LM to be built. Used by McLaren for all press and promotional photography. Proved the F1 LM's true performance capabilities by setting new performance world records of 0-100Mph in 6.7 seconds and 0-100Mph-0 in 11.5 seconds in 1999. Still retained by McLaren at the Technology Center in Woking as part of their own F1 collection. However it is currently still hotly pursued by Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, and every other true supercar enthusiast across the globe. Yours truly included.
LM1 and LM4 - Both sold new to the Brunei Royal Family, and never seen again since then. Very little is known about these 2 cars, apart from the fact that they're painted in a rather awkward scheme of GTR #01R's Matte Black and Shadow Grey base livery mixed with stripe graphics, instead of the signature McLaren Historic Papaya Orange hue.
LM2 - Sold new to Yoshio Tsuzuki and still retained by it's original owner. Currently on display at his ZAZ Automotive Musuem in Nagoya, Japan, along with
58F1GT and an F1 Road Car.
LM3 - Sold new to David Morrison in the UK, later sold on to Frank Selldorff in Massachusetts, North America. Was sold to current owner Ralph Lauren in 2004.
LM3 has been involved in a crash while undergoing track testing before, but was subsequently repaired and restored to perfect working order by the factory. Currently resides at Ralph's Colorado ranch alongside F1 Road Cars #055 and #074.
LM5 - Sold new to the Brunei Royal Family along with
LM1 and
LM4, again little is known about this car, although fortunately it is said to have retained it's McLaren Historic Papaya Orange paintwork. About 5 months ago there was a rumour circulating around that
LM5 was given to one of the Sultan's Princess daughters as a 21st birthday present; ironic, given that the Princess had no driving license, didn't know how to drive and was chaffeur-driven her whole life.
LM5 was then supposedly used as nothing more than a garden ornament, and I for one hope that such a fate has not befallen this car.
Apart from celebrating what is probably the greatest road-going supercar ever built, this Thread is also intended to become the sole F1 LM Archive for LM-related content here on AF, so that all the LM content can be housed in one streamlined, easy-to-find-and-use place. Surely the F1 LM deserves to have it's own dedicated Thread on here, and with that I humbly invite and encourage all posters and contributers here to include all your F1 LM content, including pictures, video clips, etc. in this Archive Thread. Hopefully one day it will also become worthy of stickied inclusion in the Best of The Best F1 Threads section.