- McLaren F1 #063 on display at Hampton Court Concours d’Elegance has been fully restored by McLaren Special Operations (MSO)
- Appearance follows announcement of McLaren F1 Certification programme at last year’s event
- McLaren Automotive is the only body in the world sanctioned to issue the McLaren F1 Certificate of Authenticity
McLaren Special Operations (MSO) is set to premiere its recently restored McLaren F1 #063 at the Hampton Court Concours d’Elegance on September 6-8.
Following on from the announcement of the McLaren F1 Certification programme at last year’s prestigious event, MSO returns with its newest project. As custodians of the F1 legacy, MSO continues to develop and manufacture parts to ensure that every F1 remains an icon of the road for many years to come.
Chassis 63 has undergone a painstaking restoration over a period of 18-months. Initially the body and drivetrain were stripped from the car. The interior was then re-trimmed in the original Semi Aniline leather, which was a one-off for this car. It is finished in Woking Grey – a colour reportedly inspired by the often slate-coloured English sky above McLaren’s then premises on Albert Drive, close to the current location of MSO – using 10 hand-selected hides to meet MSO’s stringent quality standards.
Woking Grey Alcantara® was used on the dashboard and the perforated passenger seats. The driver’s seat was re-trimmed in Woking Grey leather with a red perforated Alcantara® centre panel. The Woking Grey carpets were all renewed and the over mats were finished with a grey leather piping. Finally, the steering wheel was replaced from MSO’s stock of original parts, with the original retained by the owner for historical reference.
Once the interior was re-trimmed, the exterior body panels were re-fitted to chassis 63, repainted in the original Magnesium Silver paint to a meticulously high standard, a process that took nearly 900 hours to complete.
Whilst the body and interior were being restored, the car’s 6.1-litre normally-aspirated engine was completely rebuilt. Once finished, the engine was dyno tested to ensure that it generates the still-impressive 618 bhp capable of powering the McLaren F1 to 243mph before being re-installed in the car.
F1 #063’s dampers were sent back to Bilstein for refurbishment and the driveshafts and hubs were also sent back to the original supplier for rebuild. The final work was completed to provide the F1 Certification for the car to catalogue its provenance.
The restoration was completed in June following almost 3,000 hours of work including final road and track testing. Once work on chassis 63 was completed it was handed over to the owner at the McLaren Technology Centre.
As with every McLaren F1 in the Certification programme, #063 now has its own unique Certificate of Authenticity – which McLaren Automotive is the only body in the world able to issue – authenticating its provenance, originality, service life, road/race history and condition. Conformity with the original specification and to any McLaren-sanctioned upgrades is confirmed by reference to the factory archives.
The owner of chassis 63 is now in possession of a bespoke illustrated book documenting the history of their car as well as a Genesis Speed Form; a 3D laser-scanned McLaren F1 distilled into a scale model to give the essence of the car, which was originally built at Genesis Business Park in Woking.
In total, 106 McLaren F1s were built between 1993-98, among them 64 standard road cars and 28 GTR race cars, and every one is eligible for the scheme.
“Just 12 months ago we announced the MSO McLaren F1 Heritage programme with the unveiling of F1 25R, resplendent in Gulf Racing Colours. Following an extensive restoration, which was very much a labour of love for our team, it’s an honour to now display chassis 63 at the Hampton Court Concours d’Elegance. With the work the team has carried out, this car will continue to fulfil the original brief for the McLaren F1; to create the world’s finest road car.”
Ansar Ali, Managing Director, McLaren Special Operations.
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Notes to editors:
A selection of high resolution images accompanying this release is available to download from the McLaren Automotive media site – cars.mclaren.press
About McLaren Automotive:
McLaren Automotive is a creator of luxury, high-performance sportscars and supercars.
Every vehicle is hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in Woking, Surrey, England.
Launched in 2010, the company is now the largest part of the McLaren Group.
The company has defined product families: Sports Series, Super Series, Ultimate Series and Motorsport which are retailed through over 80 retailers in more than 30 markets around the world.
McLaren is a pioneer that continuously pushes the boundaries. In 1981, it introduced lightweight and strong carbon fibre chassis into Formula 1 with the McLaren MP4/1. Then in 1993 it designed and built the McLaren F1 road car – the company has not built a car without a carbon fibre chassis since. As part of the Ultimate Series, McLaren was the first to deliver a hybrid hypercar, the McLaren P1™.
Announced at Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2018, the company’s Track25 business plan will see it invest £1.2billion in research and development to deliver 18 new cars or derivatives by the end of 2025.
In 2018, the company launched the 600LT and the first two cars of Track25, the McLaren Speedtail, the next Ultimate Series, and McLaren’s first ever Hyper-GT, and 720S Spider. It also opened a new £50m McLaren Composites Technology Centre in the Sheffield region in the North of England that will see it produce the next generation of lightweight carbon fibre ‘tubs’ that are at the heart of all McLaren cars.
2019 saw McLaren launch the 600LT Spider confirmed as the third car of Track25, with a new GT car announced and the previously-confirmed track-only Senna GTR unveiled.
To support the development, engineering and manufacture of its range of innovative sportscars and supercars, McLaren Automotive partners with world leading companies to provide specialist expertise, technology and solutions. These include Richard Mille, Pirelli, Dell Technologies, Ashurst, AkzoNobel and OnePlus.
McLaren Group:
The McLaren Group is a global leader in luxury automotive and technology and comprises three businesses: Automotive, Racing and Applied Technologies.
