McLaren F1 set to be revived as hyper-GT car

A successor to the fabled McLaren F1 could emerge in 2018 – 25 years after the original started a decade of dominance as the world’s fastest production car.

The UK’s Autocar is reporting a new F1 will be built by McLaren’s Special Operations division and feature nods to the original, including its distinctive three-seater layout, upward-swinging doors and roof-mounted air intake.

There’s said to be a different brief for F1 MkII, however, with plans for it to be positioned as a “hyper-GT” car that places as much emphasis on luxury and refinement as it does performance. That means the F1 should continue to live up to its name and retain pole position in McLaren’s multi-supercar line-up.

Unlike the hybrid McLaren P1, there will be no electrical assistance within the F1 successor’s drivetrain, though neither will it be naturally aspirated unlike the BMW V12-powered original. Autocar says a modified version of the company’s twin-turbo V8 will instead be used, producing more than 520kW.

A top speed in excess of 320km/h means it would fall short of the 372km/h the 1993 McLaren F1 achieved to break records of the time.

A price tag of about £2 million (A$3.5m) is being suggested, with a limited run of just 64 units meaning there would be even fewer modern-day F1s than the original, which just made it into triple digits.

Apart from the seating layout with its central driving position flanked by two offset passenger seats, the cabin will pay homage to the interior of the 1990s supercar while using more contemporary materials.

A bespoke luggage set will also be offered with the new car, according to the story.

Carbonfibre would naturally play a crucial role in the car’s construction, with McLaren’s supercars continuing to be inspired by the carbon monocoque of the original (which itself was inspired by McLaren’s 1980s Formula One cars).