VIDEO: McLaren at Le Mans: Pursuit of Perfection

[jeff_alexander]

You know, we could have titled this one "Car Porn" and it would make as much sense. After the jump you'll find a few videos documenting the more than legendary McLaren F1's inaugural 1995 Le Mans effort. And while the car is without question beyond cool, you may not have actually lived until you watch Andy Wallace talk you through an entire qualifying lap of Le Mans, including Mulsanne's Corner. Which, as Andy explains, simply ain't what it used to be -- nowadays you take it at 180 mph, not 250 mph. And it gets better from there. Block out about forty minutes and just sit mouth agape and watch. Thank us later. Also -- Gordon Murray's hair totally rules. Four videos, after the jump.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgWBHuPy3Us
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjmPG0wLthg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFDJT2VOl_0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKR1Yga-Qjc

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/13/v...of-perfection/

Simply amazing

[BoS_DC2]

simpyl amazing, thanks!

[Rikaro]

There was another article that I read that the reason they end up with a BMW engine is because Honda wouldn't manufacture the engine for them. The suspension design and geometry is similar to the one from the Honda NSX as well.

May be it was a corporate decision and the right one but if the Honda engine was in the Mclaren F1 then there's going to be so much less shit talk about Honda cars.

[jeff_alexander]

Originally Posted by Rikaro

There was another article that I read that the reason they end up with a BMW engine is because Honda wouldn't manufacture the engine for them. The suspension design and geometry is similar to the one from the Honda NSX as well.

May be it was a corporate decision and the right one but if the Honda engine was in the Mclaren F1 then there's going to be so much less shit talk about Honda cars.

Gordon Murray used the NSX as a reference when designing the Mclaren F1

Although it's true I had thought it would have been better to put a larger engine, the moment I drove the Honda NSX, all the benchmark cars—Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini—I had been using as references in the development of my car vanished from my mind. Of course the car we would create, the McLaren F1, needed to be faster than the NSX, but the NSX's ride quality and handling would become our new design target. Being a fan of Honda engines, I later went to Honda's Tochigi Research Center on two occasions and requested that they consider building for the McLaren F1 a 4.5 liter V10 or V12. I asked, I tried to persuade them, but in the end could not convince them to do it, and the McLaren F1 ended up equipped with a BMW engine."

[CorneringArtist]

I remember reading the Wiki article on the McLaren, and the fact that it was able to beat prototypes as a GT-class car was amazing. The car was pretty kickass looking too.

I wonder how the car would have turned out if Honda agreed to build the engine...

[JoshuaWong]

imagine if Honda and McLaren worked together to build a new supercar...