McLaren Special Operations pays homage to the first Speedtail ‘Albert’

Custom-made commission on behalf of the North American McLaren dealer, McLaren Beverly Hills, ‘Albert’ Speedtail is inspired by the first attribute test prototype vehicle. Limited to just 106 copies, Albert pays homage to the Speedtail and has one of the most complex color themes ever completed by McLaren Special Operations MSO – it took more than 12 weeks to complete.

If you’re wondering about the meaning of the strange name like Albert, it goes back to the ancestors of the Speedtail. In 1992 the original test mules were made by the legendary McLaren F1 were called Albert based on the street Albert Drive, where McLaren developed and built the supercar in Working, England.

“The name ‘Albert’ has a special resonance with MSO as we are the custodians of the McLaren F1 and are based on the Albert Drive compound that McLaren Cars lived in in the 1990s. The Speedtail experience has been an exhilarating journey for our customers, from visualizing their imaginations to realizing those inspirations to sharing their joy in unveiling the finished product. ‘Albert’ is bringing this project to a close and we are delighted to end it on a high note. ”Ansar Ali, General Manager, McLaren Special Operations.

The prototype vehicle “Albert” was developed to validate the concept of the central seating position of the Speedtail and to test the ergonomics of the driver as well as the viewing and reversing camera positions. It is also the first Speedtail Attribute test vehicle from 2018. Originally built with the front panels of a 720S, the ‘Albert’ prototype was the first Speedtail to be ridden on public roads.

The latest version of the Speedtail has a 1K glossy visual carbon body. The “camouflage” of the exterior design was achieved by a simple two meter long vinyl body with printed design lines that represent the optimized airflow over the car. The ‘Albert’ Speedtail carries on this legacy and carries one of the most complex color themes MSO has ever realized. Given the incredibly complex and detailed nature of the paint design, the MSO team first made test panels to understand the feasibility of the process. It worked with the visualizer team to refine renderings. Overall, ‘Albert’ would require a 12-week post-build remodel at MSO’s facility to reach completion; This included two weeks of covering, six weeks of painting, and the time remaining to dry and assemble the vehicle after spraying.

The colors chosen for the “Albert” pay homage to the color in which the F1 road car was first shown on the 1992 Monaco Grand Prix – and Ueno Gray, the F1 GTR that won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1995. All design treatment closely follows the 2018 vinyl camouflage. Each vehicle is hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Center (MPC) in Working, Surrey, England.

“As one of the last Speedtails to be built at the McLaren Production Center, it was very important to us at McLaren Beverly Hills that ‘Albert’ honor the rich heritage of the brand, particularly the iconic McLaren F1. We have worked with MSO at every stage, including the concept idea, to produce a truly bespoke and beautifully detailed car that celebrates the innovation and design of the fastest McLaren road car to date. We are lucky enough to be able to procure ‘Albert’ for one of our top customers and are absolutely delighted with the end result. “

Parris Mullins, McLaren Beverly Hills.

Two specialized paint technicians carried out the painting process during the six week painting process to achieve the most accurate and accurate and flawless finish. This also required that the car be disassembled to ensure completeness. In total, masking the paintwork required nearly two kilometers of fine line-out tape to complete the original design layout. The paint mix effect was placed on the outer body parts of the door applications, with the front being painted in Ueno gray and the rear in magnesium silver. After the first coat of paint, all of the body panels were treated and reassembled to ensure perfect alignment, and only then was the final clear coat applied.

The ‘Albert’ Speedtail made its public debut at Sunset GT, a luxury car and coffee event hosted by O’Gara Beverly Hills, on Sunday the 8th. Based on the shape of a teardrop, which is the most aerodynamically efficient shape in nature the Speedtail is the apotheosis of the streamlined hypercar, a three-seater Hyper-GT that became the third car in McLaren’s Ultimate Series lineup. With its 1,070 hp hybrid drivetrain, the Speedtail covers 112 meters per second at a top speed of 250 mph / 402 km / h, making it the fastest McLaren Road car to this day.