May 28, 1992. Hardcore McLaren fans instantly recognize that date as the introduction of arguably the greatest supercar of the 1990s. Of course, we’re talking about the McLaren F1, and only 106 were produced between 1992 and 1998. Keeping in mind that this number includes prototypes, road cars, and race cars, seeing just one is a rare occurrence. Having 13 people in one place is truly unique.
The 30th anniversary of Formula One is cause for celebration, and it’s the subject of this video from the Seen Through Glass YouTube channel. The event, organized by Classic Driver and Kiklo Spaces, took place on September 13 in the United Kingdom and featured a little bit of everything from the McLaren F1 world. The celebration included 13 vehicles, including five road cars, five GTR race cars, and three Longtail racers, one of which was a prototype, according to Classic Driver.
The video walks us through the collection while telling us some interesting stories about some of the vehicles. The first is a two-tone gray/silver road car custom-built for the founder of Uneo Clinic in Japan, the company that sponsored the Le Mans-winning GTR in 1995. The founder intended to purchase the actual race car, but McLaren instead created a one-of-one road car in the same colors. Michael Andretti, who briefly raced in Formula One with McLaren before being replaced by Mika Häkkinen, was given another F1 road car.
The cars were undoubtedly the main attraction, but the gathering also included a special collection of F1-related items. A specialized tool chest that each F1 buyer received is of particular interest. Because McLaren did not have any service centers in the 1990s, the tools were to be used by McLaren engineers if on-site maintenance was required at the owner’s location.
With a top speed of 240 mph and a 6.1-liter BMW-sourced V12 producing 618 horsepower, the F1 easily claimed the title of the world’s fastest production car. The record was held until 2005, when the Bugatti Veyron reached 253 mph, but 30 years after its debut, the F1 remains one of the fastest road-legal supercars ever built.
Source: Seen Through Glass via YouTube
