McLaren Automotive had not planned to race its F1. The groundbreaking Gordon Murray-designed mid-engine machine was meant to be the ultimate road car. Still, the new GT1 race class looked very tempting to several race teams, which convinced Murray and McLaren to develop the full race F1 GTR.
Going to Le Mans in 1995 it was assumed by most teams that the all-out sports racing cars would win, not one of the production-based GT1s. Yet, the pure racecars failed and at the end of the 24 hours McLaren F1 GTRs were in 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 13th places.
To note this unexpected success at Le Mans, McLaren built five unique versions of the F1 with the added name LM for Le Mans. They are easy to spot, painted Papaya Orange to honor the company's founder, the late Bruce McLaren, who used that color on his race cars.
These are basically F1 GTR race cars made legal for road use. They retain the race car's external rear-mounted wing, the cooling ducts in the nose and the added brake cooling system. There are also modifications to the front and side aerodynamics
Creature comforts are minimal. As with the GTRs, the LMs have been stripped of interior luxuries such as a sound system or sound-proofing, and the driver and passenger communicate through noise-canceling headphones. The LMs forsake rubber suspension bushings for aluminum, so they run lower to the ground with a stiffer ride. Unlike the GTR, the LM does not have carbon-ceramic brakes. These measures trim the weight of the F1 LM to just over 2300 lb.
These are basically F1 GTR race cars made legal for road use. They retain the race car's external rear-mounted wing, the cooling ducts in the nose and the added brake cooling system. There are also modifications to the front and side aerodynamics
Creature comforts are minimal. As with the GTRs, the LMs have been stripped of interior luxuries such as a sound system or sound-proofing, and the driver and passenger communicate through noise-canceling headphones. The LMs forsake rubber suspension bushings for aluminum, so they run lower to the ground with a stiffer ride. Unlike the GTR, the LM does not have carbon-ceramic brakes. These measures trim the weight of the F1 LM to just over 2300 lb.
LMs are the most powerful F1s, for while they feature GTR engines, their 6.1-liter BMW V-12s don't have the rules-required intake restrictors. Where a "normal" F1 has 627 bhp and the GTR race car is throttled down to 600, the LM has 691. Torque is an impressive 562 lb.-ft. This is enough to rush the LM through its 6-speed gearbox to 100 mph in a mere 5.9 seconds.
Of the five F1 LMs, three are in Brunei, one is in a Japanese museum and the other—LM3, the third car built—is in the Ralph Lauren collection. There is a sixth LM with the serial number XP1 LM that was used as the prototype for the LMs and is the property of McLaren.
Of the five F1 LMs, three are in Brunei, one is in a Japanese museum and the other—LM3, the third car built—is in the Ralph Lauren collection. There is a sixth LM with the serial number XP1 LM that was used as the prototype for the LMs and is the property of McLaren.
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