McLaren F1

The McLaren F1 was engineered and produced by McLaren Automotive, a subsidiary of the British McLaren Group that, among others, owns the McLaren Mercedes Formula One team. The car features a 6.1-litre 60° BMW S70 V12 engine and it was conceived as an exercise in creating what its designers hoped would be considered the ultimate road car. Only 100 cars were manufactured, 64 of those were street versions, 5 were LMs, 3 were GTs and the rest were GTR racing models. Production began in 1993 and ended in 1998.

The McLaren F1 was the fastest production car ever built (having achieved a top speed of 240.14 mph, 386.5 km/h) until surpassed in 2005 by the Koenigsegg CCR , and then the Bugatti Veyron a few months later.

Gordon Murray insisted that the engine for this car be normally-aspirated to increase reliability and driver control. Turbochargers and superchargers increase power but they increase complexity and can decrease reliability as well as the ability of the driver to maintain maximum control of the engine.

The carbon fiber body panels and monocoque required significant heat insulation in the engine compartment, so Murray’s solution was to line the engine bay with the most efficient heat-reflector: gold foil. Approximately 25 g (0.8 ounce) of gold was used in each car.

The McLaren F1 can do 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.2 seconds and has an official top speed of 240.14 mph (386.4 km/h) (although with the rev limiter removed); the F1 remains one of the fastest “production” cars ever made.