It’s a stunning piece of engineering made from titanium, kevlar, and even gold.
The Petersen Museum houses one of the best automobile collections in the world. Whether movie cars or wonders built by buses, the Petersen Museum has it all. Over the past year they have kept us entertained with some of their exclusive tours of part of their collection on their YouTube channel. And their latest video, hosted as always by the museum’s chief historian Leslie Kendall, describes the McLaren F1 LM Edition, one of two standard F1s that McLaren has equipped with an LM engine.
Designed by F1 legend Gordon Murray
The McLaren F1 was designed by Formula 1 car designer Gordon Murray and became the ultimate street legal GT car. This particular F1 is a 1991 F1 LM, named after the Le Man race that the car won in 1995. It’s a stunning piece of engineering made out of titanium, kevlar, and even gold. And as Kendall describes, the central driving position still surprises a lot of people and makes them feel as close as possible to driving a Formula 1 car in the world.
The LM is a rare example of an already rare car
via YouTube
Only about 106 F1s were built, including the two LM examples. This one is done in a stunning metallic bronze that really sets it apart from the rest, especially in the LM configuration. The LMs sacrificed some of that top speed of 241 mph in favor of downforce, with the two LMs designed as rail vehicles to get as much power as possible on the track. It’s worth noting that the F1’s top speed wasn’t dwarfed until the Bugatti Veyron hit the scene at 250 mph, over 10 years after the first McLaren F1.
BMW engine powers the mighty F1
via YouTube
Hidden under the hood of the McLaren F1 is a 6.1 liter BMW engine that surpasses the 100 horsepower per liter mark that so many automakers have reached before. Kendall says if you want a car that looks good, a car that performs well, and a car that is well built and extremely rare, then the McLaren F1 LM is the perfect choice. Even now, an F1 LM would more than hold its own on the racetrack.
Source: YouTube
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Henry Kelsall
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From JDM cars to WWII machines. Contribution to HotCars since autumn 2018.
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