McLaren F1 (1995)

The McLaren F1 is more than just a car, it is legendary, it is mythical. It stunned the automotive world when its concept burst on the scene in 1992 and was unlike anything that came before it. Everything about it was hyperbole, and its credentials seemed almost too good to be true. It sat three, with the driver in the middle, its engine compartment was lined with gold for better heat dissipation, and with its BMW-built V12, it could top 230 miles per hour.

McLaren was no startup or flash-in-the-pan manufacturer. Since the 1960s, it had been one of the premier racing manufacturers in the world, with success in Formula 1, Can-Am, and at the Indianapolis 500. By the late 1980s, the company was riding especially high. Thanks to an engine partnership with Honda, its white and red Marlboro-sponsored cars dominated Formula 1 throughout the decade, and its MP 4/4 cars owned the 1988 season, taking 15 of 16 races. Company founder Bruce McLaren had wanted to build a road-going car using racing technology in the late '60s, but plans were scuttled after his death testing a race car in 1970. As a result of the 20 years of success since, McLaren technical director Gordon Murray believed that the company had the know-how to create the ultimate road car, but he wanted to do it in a way that had never been done before.

Gordon Murray had begun to think of possibilities outside the track. For the F1, Murray wanted to combine the handling and ease of Honda's NSX with the extreme power that could still blow the doors off supercars like the Ferrari F40, Lamborghini Diablo, and Jaguar XJ220. Murray was quoted as having said, "To my thinking, the ideal car is one in which I could get in the driver's seat and be out for a drive in downtown London, and then want to continue straight on to the South of France. A car that you can trust, with functional air conditioning, and retains daily drivability. No offset pedals allowed. No high dashboards restricting your view either. Having a low roof hitting your head every time you go over a bump in the name of aerodynamics and styling is out of the question. It is essential that a supercar be a pleasure to drive, and anything detracting from that must be excised."

Even today no car can turn heads like an F1, neither can any car claim to be as driver focused as the F1 - The F1 is a groundbreaker, claims made today that the F1 represents the best car ever built are perfectly justifiable.
Turbocharging and supercharging were both dismissed by Murray outright as being too needlessly complex and heavy, as were airbags, anti-lock brakes, and power steering. But for all the F1 didn't have, it made up for it with cutting-edge technology: It was the first production car to use a monocoque carbon fibre chassis, making it incredibly strong and stable at high speeds - and incredibly lightweight. Murray put together the ultimate team, the member of which came from many different backgrounds; they were obsessed with the ultimate design in every respect.

The F1 was a sensation when it debuted, and easily took the "fastest production car" title away from the XJ220 (in 1998, a prototype set a world record with a top speed of 248 miles per hour). But despite the car's capabilities, and McLaren's pedigree on the track, Murray had no desire to take the F1 racing. After pressure from owners and racing teams, the company relented and released the competition-ready F1 GTR in 1995. Lightened and lowered (despite having to be detuned to compete in the BPR Global GT Series), the F1 GTRs were an unprecedented success. At that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, the cars joined the pantheon of racing legends, finishing first, third, fourth, fifth, and thirteenth overall. A legend had already been born but mythical status had now been achieved as a result of this lightly modified road car attending and winning the fabled 24 hour race at La Sarthe first time out of the box.

Production started in late 1994 and by 1998, production ended on the F1 after merely 106 had been built. For its first attempt at a road car, McLaren set out to build the best, and astonishingly, it did. Since its debut, the F1's legend looms as large as ever before, and has become the standard by which all supercars are judged. There have been prettier, more advanced, more expensive, and even faster exotics in the decades since, but none have had an impact that comes anywhere close to the F1 putting the F1 on a level peg with the Ferrari 250 GTO.

Of the 106 cars built only 64 were built and supplied as road cars, the last "new" car remaining in McLaren's Park Lane showroom until late 2003. The road cars are very much more sought after as a result of their iconic three seat setup (unlike the GTR with space for just two), air conditioning and operational side windows.

Please note, this vehicle is no longer for sale.

With passion being a driving force, iDing Power was born as ID Auto Service Ltd. in the 70s in order to provide mechanical aid to imported and domestic cars, as well as tuning and track preparation. A decade after CEO and founder Ide studied in Germany at BMW’s motorsport division, the business underwent a rebrand to iDing after which saw a paradigm shift in their focus, to the extensive tuning of BMW models.

The company continued on an upward trajectory, adding Ferrari to their list of marques to receive their treatment, and establishing a subsidiary base in Germany.

In 1994, the Yokohama Shin-Yamashita showroom was opened. This coincided with iDing Power’s certification as a McLaren F1 authorised centre, and official importer for Japan.

McLaren’s Japanese agent Minoru Yasukawa had already brokered the sponsorship deal between Motakazu Sayama’s Ueno Clinic and the preparation of development chassis F1 GTR #01R to Le Mans specification. Without doubt his efforts in support that placed McLaren atop the global pedestal of GT racing served as incredible grounding from which he would be able to allocate so many cars.

Of the sixty-four road cars, thirteen were shipped to Japan pre-delivery, chassis 016 among the first. An additional four either GT, LM or GTR specification cars also first landed in Japan. It is highly likely that iDing Power had an integral part to play in supplying these seventeen F1 chassis.

Whilst the original owner of 016 is unknown, it is clear from the wealth of historical information and photography in the earliest years of its history that it was certainly a close friend of the importer. So much so in fact, that 016 features in numerous publications in period, all of which accompany the car today, including several DVDs documenting the journey.

Testament to its usability and very much in support of Gordon Murray’s vision, this example was used well. By 1998 and its return to iDing Power McLaren Japan for service work, the car had covered an impressive 14,168 km.

• 04.04.1998 – iDing Power McLaren Japan – 14,168km

Between 1999 and 2001, the F1 found residence in Germany seeing four services with authorised service centre Schafer, bracketing two road tours of 1,500 km and 3,100 km respectively. The car then moved to the United States after purchase by David Lockwood.

• 04.06.1999 – Schafer Authorised McLaren Service – 20,889km
• 20.07.1999 – Schafer Authorised McLaren Service – 22,460km
• 22.03.2001 – Schafer Authorised McLaren Service – 25,801km
• 22.06.2001 – Schafer Authorised McLaren Service – 28,910km
• 28.11.2005 - McLaren Automotive – 32,969 km

Purchased by the current keeper in 2007, the car has since received a wealth of servicing with McLaren Automotive. Cared for as a part of a prominent collection, no expense has been spared in the ongoing maintenance of this example. Comprehensive invoices are on record with works totalling £485,000.

• 27.04.2007 - McLaren Automotive – £21,470.36
• 25.04.2007 - McLaren Automotive – £10,688.15
• 25.04.2007 - McLaren Automotive – £4,675.43
• 27.04.2007 - McLaren Automotive – £20,400.80
• 27.04.2007 - McLaren Automotive – £14,363.13
• 27.04.2007 - McLaren Automotive – £1,856.89
• 29.05.2008 - McLaren Automotive – £1,392.39
• 31.07.2008 - McLaren Automotive – £34,706.14
• 08.08.2008 - McLaren Automotive – £2,650.99
• 26.03.2009 - McLaren Automotive – £251.40
• 17.12.2009 - McLaren Automotive – £16,322.93
• 17.12.2010 - McLaren Automotive – £1,700.00
• 21.04.2011 - McLaren Automotive – £27,677.65
• 06.10.2011 - McLaren Automotive – £11,203.75
• 22.01.2013 - McLaren Automotive – £5,599.88
• 15.10.2013 - McLaren Automotive – 35,025 km – £33,054.38
• 26.08.2016 - McLaren Automotive – 35,264 km – £13,516.00
• 13.03.2018 - McLaren Automotive – 35,282 km – £70,000.00
• 11.12.2020 - McLaren Automotive – 35,301 km – £35,463.51
• 19.03.2021 - McLaren Automotive – £50,139.71
• 19.03.2021 - McLaren Automotive – £12,489.50
• 01.09.2023 - McLaren Automotive – 35,472 km – £64,083.63
• 01.09.2023 - McLaren Automotive – 35,472 km – £31,872.73

Today this example presents superbly. Unblemished history from new and with over £485,000 spent in preventative maintenance over the past 18 years. This example is accompanied today by its luggage set, toolkit, service book, owners manual, McLaren F1 (Tag Heuer) watch, FACOM tool chest and 4 spare wheels.