The McLaren F1 is 30 years old and not only is it still desirable, but even more desirable than when it was new. It’s gotten so expensive that its creator, the legendary Gordon Murray, doesn’t even own one anymore because he couldn’t justify dodging a car worth more than $ 20 million. And since F1s have to be honed, there is no point owning them if he can’t drive them the way they should be driven.
A Mclaren F1 sold for $ 20.5 million at the 2021 Pebble Beach auction, making it the most expensive car to be sold at auction in 2021. Even 30 years later, with countless limited edition hypercars made before and after, the F1 is still the most sought-after car in the world. It’s not difficult to see why, however.
First of all, the McLaren F1 is the brainchild of Gordon Murray, one of the greatest automotive engineers of all time, and is considered by many enthusiasts to be the best driving instrument ever built. However, one of the reasons the F1 is so popular is its engine; a 6.1 liter naturally aspirated V12 engine developed and built by BMW.
McLaren F1 – Photos by McLaren Media
The history of the BMW V12 for the McLaren F1 is legendary. Murray didn’t have the budget to develop his own engine for the F1, so he sought out some of the best engine builders in the world instead. Murray got his engine requirement list and was unwilling to budge. First he went to Honda, who refused him. Then he went to his friend Paul Rosche at BMW M and Rosche accepted the challenge.
What were Murray’s requirements? The engine had to be a V12, it had to be naturally aspirated, it had to have at least 100 hp per liter and it had to rev up. Paul Rosche’s team at BMW M not only met all of Murray’s requirements, but the free-breathing V12 was an absolute masterpiece and is often viewed as the greatest street engine of all time.
BMW enthusiasts should love the fact that a car with a BMW engine developed by one of the most famous BMW engineers will power the most valuable car of 2021 and one of the most valuable cars in the world.
[Source: BimmerToday]
