The McLaren F1 Owner's Club

[hurstg01]

Still gutted I couldn't join you on this one - if the invite is still there perhaps the next one?

I'm loving the pics; take your time posting them up - Mclaren overload beckons so drip feeding them to us, either chassis-by-chassis or day-by-day-of-the-Tour will mean less trips to A&E

[Sami Aaltonen]

ERIK:

I found the answer, fantastic they kept #05R in Cesar livery!

[WaZzZuPpP]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oya_sOHj2J0

[Sparco_bro]

Originally Posted by WaZzZuPpP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oya_sOHj2J0

I was just posting it! That's the video my brother and I made about yesterday!
It was an incredible day, just incredible!
In the morning, we filmed a group of cars leaving the hotel, then we found them being loaded on the trucks the afternoon, and lastly...#007 and #046 just there for your pleasure...
The GTRs had a sound...what a sound! I'm a McLaren fan, and seeing 19 of them, here in Italy...simply amazing, I'm still thrilled about it!!!
I want to personally thank, once again, Erik for the incredible moment shared with me, and personally thank Mr. Bellm for thinking about and organizing this incredible event

[Peloton25]

Originally Posted by Sami Aaltonen

ERIK:

I found the answer, fantastic they kept #05R in Cesar livery!

I agree - it was looking quite fantastic and overall in significantly better condition than when it appeared at the Artcurial auction during the Le Mans Classic in 2010.

>8^)
ER

[Peloton25]

Originally Posted by hurstg01

Still gutted I couldn't join you on this one - if the invite is still there perhaps the next one?

I was gutted too mate - I think I told Phillipe a few times you should be with us and I mentioned it to Simon during our drive as well. Would have been great for you and great to finally meet you.

I get the feeling I am going to need to rent a Tour Bus for the next one to bring everyone along. Funnier thing is that it just might be appropriate too.

We were pretty well behaved () and I am fairly sure that the invite is there now more than ever but we will have to see what occurs in the next couple of years. When I have something more to share on that I will let you know or perhaps Ray will lay out his plans for everyone on his own at some point? We have got plenty of time to not worry about it before we need to worry about it again though. Shame Ray isn't interested in yearly Anniversary events, but he gave us a bit of insight into setting this one up and it was no small task with quite a bit of personal risk before all the owners had been informed and committed to join him. He deserves massive praise!

>8^)
ER

[Peloton25]

Originally Posted by dbsf1

[EDIT:] WAIT WAIT WAIT. Is this the owner driving? http://www.imagebam.com/image/3128ac193289012
It has clearly changed hands then!?? Erik - help please?[/EDIT]

Matteo (SwissCarSightings.com) was there on Monday when the cars were arriving thanks to a tip some unamed source provided him on the name of the venue. Definitely was not Phil or I of course. While this was a bit of an unwanted surprise for the organizers, once I arrived Matteo and his companion Simone both quickly agreed to abide by any rules that had been imposed on those who were invited along so it became no trouble.

The person driving #018 in that shot was one of the very dedicated staff of McLaren who arrived to support the event - over a dozen in all. On the Monday they were bringing the cars in from the transporters which had to park up about 2 kms from the location of the hotel given the narrow and winding Italian roads where we were. Never fear - the car is still in the very same hands since roughly 2008 and I would agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments on the abilities of the driver. We got to follow him on a portion of the Sella pass and he stuck with a very well driven GTR ahead of him like glue and never let up. Very personable gentleman too, as they all were really.

Originally Posted by Le Man

I have said this before and I will say it again, if anybody on this forum deserves special treatment and just reward for their enormous effort and postings on this forum over the years is you Erik, without you this forum would not be what it is, not sure you realize this, but friendships have been cemented by this common meeting place and has taken people to new places and ventures beyond the McLaren F1 .

Remember I told you once to "jump on a plane" well I,m really glad you did this time. I am really pleased for you that you were invited to experience such a surreal event by Ray and his daughter, from what I have read so far, some of the owners must have thought it was surreal as well. just like living a dream.

The one thing above anything else for me is that all the owners were using their F1,s as intended "to be driven" on some of the best roads Europe can offer, finally for now, did you get offered, or have the pleasure in experiencing the ultimate gift? having a drive in an F1.

Looking forward to reading your full write up (book ) with great anticipation.

Lovely words sir - thank you much.

There was no drive for me Martin - and nothing to be sad about at all in that regard really. The only people who "deserved" to be there were the ones who have cut the checks and joined the Club. I don't feel deserving at all, but I was totally and completely thrilled to be invited along. I have no expectation of an offer for a drive at any point in my lifetime until I can write that same check. Otherwise, I'm still not sure I'd accept if it ever did come my way - most especially not on unfamiliar and confusing Italian roads with other drivers that are a bit too unpredictable at times. A private circuit might be the way to try one out - maybe Ron will let me run XP5 around Bruntingthorpe sometime?

I will say, after spending so much time in Simon's car with it being driven towards the limits quite often during our journey I have become a lot more comfortable with the overall feel of the car and find the idea of piloting one a bit less terrifying. Still in the back of your head the value and cost of repairs (should some be required) would weigh quite heavily and perhaps ruin the fun.

Simon did allow me to warm up his car yesterday morning before we headed out and in the process I shot a marginal video of the starting procedure - nothing to it really - but something I don't recall seeing previously filmed from the person in the center seat. It was super neat!

Originally Posted by mactotas

Really, Amazing. very very thanks for this pictures and videos, are incredible the opportunity, that Peloton 25 (Erick) have to participate in this event.
I hope many many pictures and more videos when you are in home. I like to see pictures of the XP3, and the GTR orange that see in the global pictures.
Thanks a lot Erick. and congratulations.

Thank you as well. While Martin has suggested I lead this forum to greatness (and I appreciate that) if others didn't contribute from time to time this would not be the wonderful place that it is and wouldn't have received the recognition that really afforded us this opportunity. Everyone here has made this experience possible, not just me.

Originally Posted by HansGruber

Did the people crowding the cars and taking pictures while you guys were driving around and loading the cars on the ferry know the significance of these vehicles? Because like Jay Leno said those who know know, but many aren't aware of the F1.

There were not a ton of people who seemed to know the car. You could tell the ones that did and it seemed a bit rare I guess. However, you can't roll through town in cars like 06R and 10R which went out for the drives every single day (and never missed a beat) without creating a bit of a scene. The exact values weren't necessarily known but many of them did definitely appreciate the show they were getting.

I find this photo to be particularly stunning. Their paint just glimmers and looks like liquid.

It was an interesting positioning of those two cars actually - one Extra HDF F1 in Dark Silver next to a standard road car in the same color. Then one of the F1 boys pointed out the two share the same number plate from different countries making that pairing even more unique. Stop me if I am repeating myself btw.

Originally Posted by V1NCENZO

Of course! Will look forward to the update when the coast is clear. Have fun at Pagani and Ferrari!!!

Today we did Museo Ferrari, then stopped in at the paint shop Zanassi, then had some lunch. Among our group was the famous YouTube spotter "Marchettino" who provided me a ride in his FIAT 500 Abarth over to Pagani's factory for a tour. Then Phil and friends needed to catch their plane, so I went in a silver Gallardo belonging to another of their friends over to the Lamborghini factory (who can imagine I ride to Lambo in a Lambo? ) stopping only briefly but it was enough, and then finally back to the Ferrari factory where I needed to pick up my rental car.

Instead of jumping right in that, however, I chose to take out a 430 Scuderia in Yellow from one of the quickie rent-a-Ferrari places. Cost on that was a little high but I am on vacation so 'tourist pricing' was expected and the idea of driving a Ferrari in Italy around Modena was enormously cool and simply too good to pass up. All said, Friday was absolutely perfect and exceeded my expectations tremendously. Thanks to all who made it possible or enhanced the overall experience for me! It continues to be a thrill a minute here in Italia for me - it has managed to be an AMAZING trip even without factoring in the F1 Tour participation. Lucky and more lucky.

>8^)
ER

[Peloton25]

Here's a neat little souvenir from our adventure.



I will share the the maps from our drives and the few images inside a bit later on. Most of the pages are not too interesting - "Turn Left at...", "Follow the signs to...", "Stop for coffee", etc. - exactly what one would expect from a "Route Book".

I will say some of the participants were better at using these than others and I was definitely not one of them.

>8^)
ER

[Peloton25]

For me one of the most exciting thing to come out of the Tour as far as cars went was getting to see the newly minted refit of #072. Except for some recent but brief glimpses prior to the sale when it was still black, this one had been off the map hiding underground for almost a decade. The new owner has taken an obviously ambitious and unique approach to his spec, considering every detail and how best to personalize it to match the rest of the car and suit his own tastes.

I must admit, even knowing in advance that it would come out in a white/red combination I was rather shocked by it at first. I was expecting some of it but couldn't picture everything that has been done to the car in my head. This was clearly a lot of work for the boys at McLaren to fabricate and deliver on. My biggest problem is that I am not a fan of the color red - that's a personal problem for me, but if I imagine the car trimmed this way in an alternate color that I do prefer then I see the genius in it. As mentioned earlier - the new owner is quite pleased with just a few more tweaks before he will officially take delivery and I am excited for him because clearly he is passionate about the car and putting it to good use which is far better than the life it used to lead.

I am perhaps repeating images that have already been shared elsewhere, but here are some shots of the car and then some details.







Obviously those taillamps are unique, but so too is the titanium exhaust. The wheels are the same style as seen on #073 for many years, but the picture shows some painstaking work went into painting them to blend well with the rest of the car.

Better shots of the interior will follow and I even snapped a chassis plate shot which I think was missing from our list previously. I meant to take the time to look at that thread during the event and did not - now I am sure I will end up kicking myself later on.

>8^)
ER

[Peloton25]

This is very special:



One of my first moments with the cars this week - 17 F1s together is beyond any words.

Two more arrived by the road with their owners later that evening making for a total of 19 McLaren F1s.

The only better views were from the upper balcony and rooftop - I hope to find some of those shots as I never was able to get up higher.

>8^)
ER


PS: Don't tell all my Facebook friends, but the image above is clickable for a HiRes version.

[tentacles1]

Hey Erik, was there much discussion on the new McLaren supercar? Would be interested to hear whether many of the F1 owners are adding one to their stables.

[Peloton25]

I am sure there was some but I generally avoided eavesdropping on any of their conversations when I could help it and tried to play the role of 'Don't speak unless spoken to' in most cases so as not to be the least bit disruptive. After a couple of days of milling around most of the owners and I had exchanged a few, or in some cases much more than a few words on their own terms but I never had any deep discussions with them about the F1 successor or whether they were lining up for that. I think it is a safe bet some of them will - no doubt. They all seemed fairly passionate about the brand of course.

I did chat with a couple of the McLaren boys about one as I would really like to get my name on the list. They continue to be very guarded about any details you might want to hear so I am afraid I do not have much to say about that subject. I was led to believe my theory of seeing the car at Pebble this year will be false but I am still going regardless.

The funny thing was there was still a rumor of P12 being shown to prospective customers in Monaco last Friday evening when I arrived in Lake Como but I never gave it too much credibility and seriously doubt anything happened at all.

Some outsiders also suspected they would bring the new car to the F1 Owner's Club event but I never saw Frank Stephenson around, nor some of the other McLaren principles who would have participated in that sort of thing. I felt pretty confident there was absolutely no chance of them showing that car without to him being there, and probably Ron as well in that crowd of individuals, who also didn't join the Tour.

>8^)
ER

[Sami Aaltonen]

Erik:

Thanks again for your long stories trought the week. Absolutely superb.
I must say; that latest image of yours, every 17 F1's + GTR's; I think you didn't knew where to start.

#05R has no racenumber on the door and seems no drivers names eather?
But so great they kept the Cesar livery. Did Ray mentioned was it "difficult" decision keep the livery or was it clear right in the first place that the car will keep it?

I think you have plenty of images coming up #05R, #07R and #12R?

[Sparco_bro]

One thing that is really impressive, and that I think sets the F1 apart from other super-hyper-cars, is that these machines were and are used. they have miles on it, and owners (at least the ones that were at the meeting) weren't scared about adding some more...I mean, you don't do so many miles on a F40 or a Enzo!

[Peloton25]

It will be difficult to leave such a beautiful place today. The shore of Lake Garda in Gargnano, Brescia is breathtaking from the Terrazza Panoramica here at my Bed & Breakfast.

This was the view that greeted me when I walked out on Monday morning after arriving in the night. Simply stunning - I am running out of superlatives of course.



Thank you again to Ray for allowing me the opportunity to experience not just the wonderful McLaren F1 Anniversary Tour, but also this incredibly beautiful place in the world I might never have come to otherwise.

>8^)
ER