McLaren F1 - The Details

It is one of the most remarkable supercars ever built and twenty years after its launch McLaren's F1 still fascinates like no other. In this episode of evo Diaries evo Magazine's Henry Catchpole introduces you to the devilish detail of the McLaren F1.

[@killerferret666]

You know you've made a good car when decades later the older generations still love it, new generations love it and everyone still wants one

[@paulallen8109]

The Ferret True, and you know you've made a good car, that passed under the radar when it was new back in 1993, which few purchased (hence why they made a racing version to sell more of them) and which was an economic loss to the company, but now is revered among enthusiasts and collectors alike and is almost priceless. Time is a great way to measure the quality and genius of a work. Great works retain their appeal and grow stronger over the years, even if they weren't instantly hailed when first released. I suppose the mid 90's recession was to blame too and the price was astronomic for a car back in 1993. Another thing people sometimes forget. Unlike many other supercars, the McLaren F1 proved its worth in racing and won its first 24 Hours of LeMans race in 1995, beating purpose-designed sportscar prototypes no less.

[@zaidsiddiqui]

+Paul Allen This I didn't knew. This car didn't in the initial period of it's time?

[@paulallen8109]

+Zaid Siddiqui It got amazing praise and admiration in the car magazines that tested it and it truly was ahead of its time. When they drove it around cities however nobody turned their head (few did and only as a delayed reaction) and few recognized what it was. 1993-1994 was in the pre-information society days and the only way to stay updated about new, amazing cars was by reading the leading car magazines. Only genuine car enthusiasts read those. Had we not had easy access to information through the internet and an abundance of videos we can watch any time it's likely the McLaren F1 would have become a modern day Bugatti Royale or Duesenberg SJ - amazing cars at their time few had heard of, or even knew existed, which saw a limited production due to a bad economic climate. The early 90's was a time of serious economic recession so it was a bad time to release a supercar in. Jaguar's XJ220 was the world's fastest production car in 1992 but most of those that had pre-ordered one in 1988 refrained from purchasing one as wasting money on an expensive car made little sense when even the wealthy risked going out of business. Many XJ220's even stood unsold for some years. The Bugatti EB110 was another short-lived supercar which was exceptionally well-made at the time but which ended production with less than 100 ever purchased (even though Michael Schumacher purchased one for himself following his first Formula 1 title). The first rebirth of Bugatti (1990-1995) went bankrupt. While the McLaren F1 was easily better than either of the two mentioned supercars it still appeared right after they had and the economy was still in the stages of recovering. The asking price of a F1 was also an astronomic 635,000 Pound Sterling - which was several times more expensive than any other car at that time. Even those who could afford one probably wondered if it was a wise investment. Gordon Murray, the man who designed it, originally intended it to be the "ultimate road car". As such it was *not* to be raced. Even though some individuals expressed interest in using privately entered racing versions (with no official factory backing) nothing happened until McLaren decided that a racing version (the GTR) would just be a modified F1 the owners could convert back to road-legal specification once the racing season was over. 28 GTR's were made. That's almost half the number of the 64 F1's that were made so it goes without saying that the GTR's boosted the sales of the car. Following the 1995 Le Mans 24 hour win (with 5 cars in the top 6 finishing positions) 5 LM's were made too. The racing success in the BPR series and LeMans helped boosting its reputation too because how can you argue against racing success? With modern eyes it's easy to see the greatness of the McLaren F1, but like I said, it passed under the radar when it was new. It took several years before it become a legendary supercar among the public too. If you said that your favorite car was a McLaren F1 back in 1994 most would say:"What's that? I've never heard of such a car."

[@zaidsiddiqui]

+Paul Allen Man, Had to copy the information and save to my PC. Great to Read about it. Thank you so much. But What did the People think about the seats placed in the middle of the Car?

[@felipetartas5434]

And the F40 was less sucess on race. Won just one race at Anderstop.

[@camryt]

Please, do make a documentary! That car is so amazing it deserves it!

[@zohib88]

***** Agreed, was looking forward to more glorious detail.

[@UltimateCARNUT]

***** This!!!!

[@Wishwader]

I second that. This time around i expect the car was returned to its owner soon after making the previous P1 vs F1 video.

[@animalcol1]

Agreed, please do the documentary!!

[@jedgunn]

***** Agreed ... MORE PLEASE!

[@MrUltraworld]

I would still prefer the F1 to the P1. V12 ICE, manual gearbox, center driving position, no driving aids. It's still a very unique car, and (20yrs later) still a modern looking (and performing) car. It's value has skyrocketed as well.

[@stupidchannel1355]

Fred Garvin and its sexier

[@FlashManinSpace]

Fred Garvin still the fastest naturally aspirated car ever built. Even after 22 years.

[@Chuka_lupin]

@Fred Garvin The price is what bursts my head. Up to $18m!

[@drazenbudis7881]

Chukwuka Edoziuno And they were round about million dollars new, what an investment they were.

[@drazenbudis7881]

Fred Garvin T.50 is coming and it will finally be a car that actually continues on F1 principles, which P1 never was.

[@CarToneHK]

Please do a full documentary on the F1

[@kasztan2008]

Brilliant, It's a pity this video is only 8 minutes long. I could watch this for hours !!

[@Kaisuke971]

Mike K. Replay button is your friend

[@The_Angry_BeEconomist]

Mike K. agreed, fascinating

[@KDD8]

+Mike K. 8 mins is longer than my sex life

[@thedr00]

Henry, with a vehicle this magnificent, a full documentary would be most welcome!

[@Navidain]

I'll second that.

[@Lucas-ck1po]

I'll third that.

[@douglassmith4464]

I'll shit on my own leg

[@SlevenKevin7]

Fourth that

[@TheWallBeyond]

Was about to write exactly this, would not mind a full documentary at all haha

[@mikea5205]

Almost 25 year later and its still the fastest (243 mph) and quickest (low 10's) naturally aspirated car in the world.

[@enzoferrari1859]

Mert Kabakci the f1 is faster. F1 too speed it 240 mph and the Enzo is 218 mph. I wish it was the Enzo.

[@FedbergRoland]

Well, that's because most people trying to get the most out of cars in terms of top speed and acceleration isn't making naturally aspirated cars anymore. You're making it sound better than it is. It's like saying x car is the fastest rotary car ever. But fact is, barely anybody is making rotary cars anymore, due to having found better ways. I love the F1, but lets be honest, if naturally aspirated cars would've been a thing in trying to get the most of cars, there would've been made faster cars by now.

[@megolito961]

@@FedbergRoland im completely agree, if the pursuit of smaller displacement/ less emissions and fuel economy growth was completely ignored in the modern day they would be able to trample on the F1's performance. in the modern day

[@CPiGTi]

FedbergRoland Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Audi and Porsche to name a few, all still make NA cars. No such thing as making a McLaren F1 sound better than it is lol. They're nothing short of phenomenal

[@FedbergRoland]

@@CPiGTi You're missing the entire point. I never said people don't make NA cars anymore. I said that when going for records, such as top speed or acceleration, NA cars, with our current technology, is usually behind all the other ways of making a car go fast. That's why the F1 is still the fastest NA car, 25 years later. The guy I responded to, made it sound more impressive than it actually is. Obviously it's still going to be the fastest NA production car, after all these years, because nobody or very few people are trying to beat that record. Because they're too busy making cars with Superchargers, Turbos and hybrid systems, because with our technology it have proven to be superior. It would be the same as talking about how some car is still the fastest steam car, after all these years and how impressive it is. But at the end of the day, it's the fastest steam car, because since then, technology have moved on we've started creating much faster cars running on a way different setup, albeit there might still be enthusiasts doing these things.

[@petertimowreef9085]

No car channel can have too much F-1 content. MORE!

[@hunghuge7717]

"I could go on but this will turn in to a full documentary if I do". Please go on. I would happily watch a couple of hours of this. One of the more interesting and informative videos on the F1 about at the moment. It's nice to see other things than people constantly going on about how fast it is and how it changed the rules - we know all that so lets see some more of the details.

[@klausschaeffer365]

Please EVO do a full documentary on the F1

[@treatb09]

he just fits with that car. an he's worth listening too as well.

[@DIVADNOMIS1313]

This is so deliciously geeky! I'd love to see you make an actual documentary. A lenghty video isn't a bad thing ;)

[@DasCayman]

No one would complain about a 45 min documentary on the F1, especially by Evo, the top filmmakers on KZbin and the internet in my opinion.

[@XaviSpit]

For me...; the best car ever made.

[@alimantado373]

I Think your quite young.... go back to 50's and 60's and youll see jaw dropping supercars which dont look generic

[@rickdeckard9810]

F1 still looks better than the P1 after all these years...imho.

[@ImperialDiecast]

the p1 still remains the happiest looking supercar ever

[@osamabinladen824]

@@ImperialDiecast P1 looks like an alien

[@srinitaaigaura]

@@osamabinladen824 It looks like a happy sweet lady from the front, but the rear is an evil gargoyle with eyes, canines, snorts fire and the rear wing raised looks like the horns of a devil. That is if you can look past that sexy backside. And apparently that is exactly how the front and rear ends handle respectively -- light and daity front end and rear furious, wild, mad and scary. From the front 3 quarter it really looks like an alien spaceship. That look is unique. It'll never get old. People will in time appreciate the sheer character of the P1's shape. Honestly Mclaren never styled anything so unique or so fitting till the Speedtail came along. The F1 doesn't look old either, except for the lamps. Otherwise the build is as good as though it was made yesterday. And who the hell are you lol? Aren't you dead and reduced to chalk at the bottom of the ocean? :)

[@humakhan80]

My opinion: The Mclaren F1 looks boring

[@ravesilly]

I'm really loving all the McLaren F1 videos lately.

[@humanbraininrobotbod]

At 7:52: "I could go on, but this would turn into a full documentary..." Yes, please.

[@Flabernat]

I never get bored of watching ANYthing on this car... McLaren F1, the greatest car ever built! :)

[@MrManuel1329]

I love the metallic sound of that BMW V12! It never gets old!

[@Kneedragon1962]

When this car went into production, it was the greatest car yet made. It was the ultimate driving machine. It was everything McLaren had learned from decades of F1. It was the supreme example of cost-no-object. And it was the most beautiful car. That was '92. It's now 2015. There are a couple of cars that are very slightly faster, but none of them have won LeMans. It's still the most beautiful, desirable car ever made.

[@nickmagee-brown739]

er. there are a lot of cars are considerably faster Agera R one:1 Veyron SS Ultimate Aero TT Hennessey Venom Devlin 16 is also nearly done. Im afraid this has had its time.

[@Kneedragon1962]

Nick Magee - Brown And how many of those cars have won the 24 hours at LeMans outright? This year, Ford is taking their rather lovely GT to LeMans, but it's not an outright contender. We had seen an end to roadcars being able to win LeMans 20 years before. Then we went through the Porsche 956 and 962 days, and all that stuff was over. But the F1 brought it back. Would any of the cars you mention, (or the beautiful La Ferrari) be able to run flat out for 24 hours at LeMans? I kind of doubt it...

[@nickmagee-brown739]

Kneedragon1962 im not arguing. Thats obviously the opinion of a proud brit. The fact is there are nany cars faster than this and yes with the right preparation they would all probably win it.

[@Kneedragon1962]

Nick Magee - Brown LOL, yes. Born Sydney Australia in Dec '62, and never been north of the equator. Let's think, what else have you guessed? I got my first GSX11 Suzuki brand new in May '80, and these days I ride a ZX14. And I drove cabs in Brisbane, night shift, for over 20 years. I raced gokarts a little, and then bikes. These days I have an old R6 as my race bike. My son is in the army, and rides a 954 I bought him. I love Britain, as long as we beat them at cricket...

[@nickmagee-brown739]

Kneedragon1962 amazing how you are on the other side of the world yet you use the american language too. Very Cool how far our culture reaches! Never heard of Cricket though.

[@burritomaker69]

Pretty please with sugar on top do a documentary on this car, I promise you it would only do your publication good!!!

[@macmaccourt]

Chassis #040, owned by "Flemke" Chassis #050, owned by Ron Dennis & Chassis #055, owned by Ralph Lauren, all have high mounted mirrors. So there are actually 3 F1s with high mounted side mirrors. ;)

[@blackout19]

Would pay for an Evo documentary on the McLaren F1!

[@Chuka_lupin]

That's deep lol

[@gareththwaite5128]

Evo I think the general consensus is. ....do a documentary. This is as it stands the best f1 video on KZbin and you got so much more to give. I personally would love to help in any way I could

[@BLITZKRIEG1]

THE GREATEST CAR EVER BUILT! EVER!

[@Chaserpollard]

One of the best looking car's ever

[@v_alexiadis]

Certainly one of the greatest. The Veyron is up there as well and why not the current trio of hypercars. Although their replacements should be even better.

[@Chaserpollard]

True

[@BLITZKRIEG1]

ianiva def not veyron, it needs 1000+hp 4 turbos and 16 cylinders, its crap on track and all it can do is go fast in a straight line. Dont forger this is 20+ years old, reached 391 with only 620 odd HP.

[@v_alexiadis]

BLITZKRIEG Yes but the Veyron was never meant to be a track car. They wanted to do an "easy", everyday, luxurious car that can reach incredible speeds and they achieved it. The engineering needed for something like that is extremely advanced and that's what counts. Certainly for its time the F1 was incredible but I think the same can be said for the Veyron. It's a 10 year-old car after all and we're still in awe of it.

[@stamatouvable]

I could have watched the whole video if you made it in to a 2 hour long documentary. I love that car. There aren't enough videos of it on KZbin

[@user-bu5jf7ks9d]

This is the best car for me all time..

[@408janus]

"This will turn into a full documentary..." Please. Please do this.

[@Camphlobactor]

Yes! Fantastic video! I love that you show all these details about the car nobody ever talks about. It's part of why I like Jay Leno. He talks about some of the realistic situations that come with the car. More geeky details please. Good job on the video all around. Good camera work, and good audio.

[@capturedbytee]

Loving the in-depth and anecdotes.

[@turboboy1983]

This car deserves nothing less than 90 minutes of "how it's made". This car is the absolute, undisputed king of the analog era. Nothing from the era, before which it was made, comes close. This is the pinnacle of human being's automotive achievement from the road going automobile's inception to it's zenith.

[@UrikKane]

Wonderful video. Beautifully narrated and very insightful, all those stories about production process and decisions.

[@smartridernaveen]

cars may come and go... the legend will be stay forever.... McLaren....🤓💝

[@ZondaF355]

Please com time with a full length documentary! Wonderful details! Thanks for sharing as always

[@metallicsilver]

My all time favorite super "hyper" car.

[@Lifeguruonafence]

Thanks Henry , looking forward the full documentary :-)

[@carlosjimenezlira605]

really, the best part of the video is listening to that beautiful note of the engine at the very end of the video! Please, make a documentary!

[@lucianwisniewski8693]

Another great video Henry! He should do more !

[@nickhorton8650]

This is proper motoring journalism.love it

[@Shortswells]

f1 is the best of all times

[@TheTornado4000]

What a video. Bravo. Loved the bit with the engine noise. Could listen to a whole modern documentary if it were ever made.

[@johngallop4761]

lovely film, well done, the P1 is the car I'm growing up fascinated by, like the F1 was to you, hopefully one day i will be able to get close to my teenage dream

[@MaistroDavid]

what an amazing video! thank you

[@jsti23]

NEEEEED MOOOOORE! I'll pay, just make the doc PLEASE!

[@bradcomis1066]

Please make the documentary! I'd love to see it. I have been enamoured with the F1 since I picked up the Road & Track test back in '95(?) when I was a kid. The F1: The greatest ever.

[@ncrave]

A full documentary would be amazing, I could certainly watch an hour if Henry showing us every detail of that amazing car!

[@vivigeos]

Great video again Henry! Do you really think the V12 sounds better than the Carrera GT's V10? Keep up the great work, you guys are amazing!

[@mhtube01]

The F1 is by far one of the best looking cars of all time. It's amazing how well the design has held up over the past 20 years, it still looks pretty modern. That really says something given how fast automotive technology and design has progressed since then.

[@Stichting-AAP]

Great videos!

[@Yaamaazz]

Always loved that the drivers in the middle. makes me feel like you would be able to park better and have more awareness and grasp of the car/road. damn i wish i had one.

[@viktorwarhola1525]

This is a mythical car that deserves a documentary! DO IT!

[@viriatvsoflvsitania5422]

This car one day will be regarded as the holy grail of all supercars. What a machine!

[@eeeen321]

Amazing video. Thanks for taking the time to show the details. Most of us never get to see the details of this awesome car. The sound is crazy sensitive though. There are excessive amounts of saliva and fabric sounds.

[@TomClark2]

Great Video!

[@TheAslakVind]

Please make a documentary! I can also recommend the McLaren doc mini-series. We all love all your small inside infos about this amazing lady! That V12! Like Pavarooottiii!

[@alexmcrae382]

Will you be doing a full video of the Koenigsegg Regera/Agera rs later in the year? Amazing video btw

[@ronnycnc]

It also had small electric underbody fans that would generate ground-effects grip and an active rear spoiler that raised during hard braking to improve stability and slow the car faster

[@alexdb77]

This deserves a full documentary ! 2 hours more long!

[@Dormantee]

Before my life ends I just hope to see one of these F1s.

[@sunilsolanki]

Still the most emotive car ever made. Glorious engine note. More please.

[@carloverseurope]

What an incredible review. As a fanatic I learnt even more about my all time favourite car. Though I believe there are 5 F1s with the higher mirrors and one is for sure owned by Ralph Lauren (chassis 074). Ron has one which is correct and there is one orange one (chassis 071) in Germany. There's another blu alfa one (040) in the UK. The last one is in Colorado (055).

[@SuperMadpom]

This video makes me feel old - i've got magazines i bought when it was unveiled it still looks gorgeous and classy and understated. I like my 99 Elise over the newer ones for the same reason. That's as near to supercar ownership as i'm likely to get,

[@clique53]

Still watching in 2019!

[@Gamefan232949]

A documentary on these cars would be more than welcome.

[@PPGNI]

Fantastic video by Henry. Please do a documentary.

[@February54]

Yeah, they don't make cars like they used to. P1 is nice, but its only a supercar. Look, Ferrari and Porsche made their own versions. However, the F1 is the one and only. Nothing has been built since that is that stunning for the time. Maybe the Veyron, but even that isn't as amazing, with it's traditional VW door ajar and VW keyfob.

[@ericsartanahorner]

Great video :)

[@luganick1941]

Yesss, PLEASE make a documentary

[@scottleech4428]

please Henry more details .. I could watch the infinite minute details for hours .. give us more EVO please !!!

[@RatulGhosh89]

I wouldn't mind watching that Documentary !!

[@Reznor_Meeks]

Greatest car of all times, always been my absolute Dream car, will always be.

[@NeilMagill]

Cracking video :)

[@yitboy11]

"Bits and Bobs" Easily my favorite British phrase haha

[@AliHasan-vz8tc]

Please make a full documentary! Who needs top gear? Your videos are excellent - top quality, informative, and fun - please keep it up!

[@SCDC-Channel]

The best video of F1

[@erictharg]

As one of the team who built the F1it is very gratifying to see it achieve its rightful place in motoring history. Good times!

[@647killa]

God I love EVO. Thank you for filming the greatest car ever built. Until they build a V12 N/A, manual gearbox, rear wheel drive, lighter than a miata supercar faster than this, the F1 will remain king. Oh, and its gotta have some gold in the engine bay !

[@law6044]

This needs a special episode

[@JetBlackGT]

F1 vs. Carrera GT... or better yet a documentary on both cars. Now THAT I would pay money for!

[@samhaokip9126]

The best man-made object EVER.

[@eedesign878]

We want more, we want more! Henry the full doc please!

[@JackFitzsimmonsZondaFan]

I love the McLaren F1, it's still the greatest supercar ever made & I saw this actual one at Goodwood Festival of Speed last Thursday.

[@aeolus75]

please, more of this :)

[@lejink]

Henry, when you do your voice overs drink a lot of water.. The sticky mouth sounds drive me nuts (I'm sure I'm not alone on this one)

[@carloverseurope]

Dee Jay I really like his voice. It is very inviting and I think adds emotion to the video. ;)

[@SONOFAZOMBIE2025]

Dee Jay to drive this car, he allowed the owner to leave a deposit in his mouth. The things we would do. And yes, it would be worth it. ☺

[@Malc180s]

Dee Jay Sounds fine on everything I watch it on. Shit speakers or headphones?

[@lejink]

Son of a Zombie LoL that explains it.... Well if that's what it takes to get McLaren videos I guess listening to sticky mouth is the price of admission

[@Bournefort]

Dee Jay I didn't notice anything.

[@vladg2239]

I must say, I fancy the McLaren F1 noise over Carrera GT, LFA and the T.50 Call me crazy. What a machine.

[@N7eptune]

Superb.

[@oliverjames7315]

amazing to have so much coverage of the f1, could never be too much and with the quality of footage you guys are able to capture no amount of detail is over the top. long overdue f1 porn. the car was like a myth when I was a small child growing up so thank you for bringing us a little closer.

[@13twelve]

+1 for a full feature length documentary on the McLaren F1

[@UltimateCARNUT]

You can never have enough videos on the Legendary McLaren F1. BTW Jay leno makes getting in the McLaren F1 look easy lol

[@two_wanderedsouls]

even after 50 years this will still be the car i fell in love with

[@robosteez]

Best car ever made without a doubt. I had dreams of this car as long as I can remember. I still remember reading about its release as a child. It demolished everything and its funny because it still does. There are only a handful of cars in the past 20 years that even come close. Engineering marvel .

[@rugglettes7517]

Can you PLEASE do the full documentary on F1 details and minutia history???? PLEASE??? This car is so much more than a halo dream car. It is an inspiration for engineering and design. It is a lesson in form and function. It is the history of high-tech materials and innovation in that field. It is instruction in packaging and scope definition. PLEASE DO A FULL DOCUMENTARY.

[@winistan]

OH MY GOD WHAT A CAR!!!!

[@abdallahelhassan1609]

I understand the fascination and ora surrounding this magnificent time in history, regarding F1 but for once I would like the review surrounding the F1 conducted by another member of the Evo channel. It's not to do with your review more to see the reaction and feelings from another journalist/expert's view which would put excitement and realism into the eyes of Evo's audience the only reason why is that you've done many videos regarding the F1 that's all thank you.

[@mubblemann]

If not a documentary then at least a 20 page pull out section in an upcoming evo issue. Fill it with lovely detail photography of the F1 and unique info about the car - you know, the stuff us car nerds love to hear and read about.

[@theutgardianchannel1952]

anyone loves this car because of NFS II?

[@Virtuoso23]

I love this car because of this car.

[@Impulsegt1]

I was drooling when I got to see the F1 GT up close and personal at the NY auto show last month

[@zika1501]

F1 pureee drivers car. Love it

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Very nice.

[@khusyairi]

I juz cant remember how many times i watched this, but the F1 is such a brilliantly designed car, every detail on it is a story on its own. Sad that no car maker will ever make a car like this again....

[@bobburger137]

My number 2 car in the world its amazing no words can describe it what a car.