GINEDN InN{cLAREN SUPTRCAR TEST: 0 TO 200 MPH IIV 28 SECOIUDS!

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COMPARED: Seven $32,000 high-speed luxury sedans.TESTED: Chevy Monte CarloZi4, Subaru Legacy LSio25th Anniversary Trans Am, Mustang Cobra convertible.

AUGUST 1994 . CANADA $3.95 UK t1 .95 US $2.95

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McLarenF1 SupercarThe fastest production car on the face of the Earthalso comes with the fastest sticker price: $815,000.

BY PETER ROBINSON

rIt's llving.

An insiant after being launched by ahunrp in the road at over l(X) mph, myview ofthe sky tiom the central drivingposition of the Mclaren Fl supercar ispure Cinentascope. The rrtoon could beour destination. In that airborne instant.I believe anything is possible. Forget themoon-with an engine this potent, let'saim fbr Mars.

When the four-point touchdowncomes, it is so velvety that the suspen-sion t'eels as though it might have beendesigned for landings. Instantly, thesound of rushing air is shattered by asharp bark from the engine as the$815,000 Mclaren is propelled downthe blacktop, accelerating at a rate I've

never bcfirre experienced. Foot downhard, the straight vanishes. As thespeedo needle hits 125 mph. an instantshil't-so orecise and rrcchanical it'slike pulling back a well-oiled bolt on aritle-brings fourth gear and anotherdisorienting burst ol'power that thrustsme fbrcefully back into the tight-tittingbucket seat.

Still we accelerate. Just 5.4 secondslater, a green up-shift light flashes,appropriately positioned at the 7500rpm redline on the tach in the center ofthe instruments. Into fifth gear at 150mph. Still no lessening of accelerationthrust. The car-squat, stable, a greenlimpet on the road-shoots forward.Maybe there's space before the corner

to grab sixth at lt30 nrph. Maybc-.No. My coura-ge runs oLlt. thc sur-

vival instinct takcs over. Onto thchruke.. I prcs: hirrd. thlough thc pcdal's qffiincrt leel belirre they hite to hlunt *'--forward movement.

Less than 30 seconds eallier. I'd waitcdback up the road lirr an all-clear signal.Even as the BMW V- l2 idled evenly at900 rpm, I could sense its invincibility.The exhaust note might be subdued, butcaress the throttle and the revs soar. Ican't resist. Nobody could. This engineresponds so instantly it feels as if itdoesn't have a I'lywheel, like a racingengine. The induction bellow is almostephemeral it can be timed so accurately.

tllttr'

Nlcl.ARFlN TJPI'RCARFI

Tlrc tach rrcctllc.jcrks suvugcll ulound thcgaugc. lrs il tlilcctly conncctc(l to tlrccllnkshall.

I'rn ulone ul lust. utrlc t() conlcnrlllutcthc cnolnritv ol ir cal so si'n'ilt that ittlcnlurtls un utlcr'lv dil'lcrcnt nrcrttalapprouch. Thc McLllcn lirlccs rcstraintltcuusc thclc is no u lr lo tlrivc it lcgullyc\ccpl ()n lrr.t lrutobaltrt ()f ll tlcctnlck lrrttlcvcn bcsin to prohc thc lirll c\tclrt ()l' itsporrer rrrrtl spcctl. ll'r ln cvcnl c\cr'\ tiulcvou l'loor thc lhrottlc. prorlucinrt ln irrc-sistiblc dcsilc lo rcrnain hchincl thc u'hccl.1o lcarn ls rt.tucl.t lrs 1-lossihlc lrborrt lr clrl sointcnsc in ils lircus. so singlc-nrinrlctl in itsluppnllch. that l'nr convincccl cvcn l top-lankccl tlrivcr coultl own it lirr 1'curs arrdstill not cxpkrrc thc outcr Iinrits ol'its sli.rs-lct'i ne pcr'lirt'ttltncc ctrvclopc.

Forqct thc Juguur XJll0. BuglttiEB I 10. Fcllali F-10 until no\\' carstlcscrving to bc callccl lapid. Thc N4cLurcnblitzcs thcru lll. And uc lral'c thc prool'.Conlirnrcrl bt, thc l)atrorr o1-rtical lcst lcar'.

Thc nr-rnrl-rcrs clo thc talkinq: Thc Flhlusts to (r0 rnph in.l.l scconcls. ThePolschc 9-59. thc prcvious prorluctiort-cur

Purifying the exhaust of the 618-hp V-'l2requires four large catalytic converters,

sandwiched between the muffler and theventilated, heat-shielded rear hatch.

106

rccortl holclcr. nccdcci 3.6 ticks of thcwalch. Wc slw l(X) rnph in 6.3 scconcls.'Ihc Fcrluri F.10 took two secorrcls lorrger.Thc McLllcrr hils 150 nrph in ll.ll scc-onds. a snridgcn longer than it takcsPrlrschc's latcst. grcatcst 9I I to rcach /00nrph. Put anolhcr way. lhc McLarerr canlccclclirte us hartl at l-50 rnnh as a FortlTuurus can in I'irsl gcar.

Zcro to 2(X) rnph takcs 2|i.0 sccorrcls.What's inrprcssive is thc l'igLrrcs show thatabove l2-5 nrph, the Fl sr-rpcrcar lccclcr-atcs lastcr thlrr last ycar's McLalcn MP:l/fiClancl Prix rlcc clr.

TIrc stanrling cluartcr'-rni le is tlispatchcdin l dlzzling l l.l sccontls lt l3ll nrphabout a scconcl cluickcl rtnd l-5 rrrph lltstcrlhan ilny othcr supc|car' \\'c'\'c tcstc(l.

CAR and DRIVEFI

The F1's pedals show their racy breedingwith machined surfaces, heim-jointed link-ages, and a proper brake balance bar.

Suclclcnly allthc usual r.r.rcusurcs of'pcr-lirrnrancc sccrn nriklly laushablc. Wc'rctalking ahout a rold car that surpasscs thcperlirnnancc ol'nrost ol'thc raccls that u'illlinc-up lirr this ycar's 24 Hours ol'Lc Mansfllcc.

Top spcecll Thc Fl runs into thc 7-5(X)rpnr t'cdlinc in sixth at 221 mph-lttrt it's.still rccL'lt'rtttirr,g. Gordon Murray. thc F I 'sclcsigncr', is convincccl that with taller gear-ing. thc cal is capablc of'al lcasl 230 ntph.

Thc rnotivation bchind this spcccl is anornrally aspiratccl. 6. l-litcr V- 12. custonr-dcsisncd lirr the Mclarcn Fl hy BMWMotorspolts. It blcaks thc nragic l(X)-Itorscpoucr'-pcr'-lilcl hirrrir'r. \('l it is ll()tabout powcl llonc. although its 6lt3 hp ut

7.1(X) rpnr nright convinccyou othcrr',,ise.

Hclpctl hy BMW'sr urilhlt' r ulvc lrrrrirrr.l. PlrrrlRocltc's ntl|slr'r'l)i('(c ills()pr.rnlps ()ut :.1 \1il!.ltcnnqJ7<) Pourttl-lr'cl ()l' l()r'quchcluccrr i(X)() lntl 7()()()lpnr. At only l-5(X) rpnr. itptl)(lu( L's ltl() pourrtl- li'ct.Tly tlickling lkrrtg irt 1.1(X)lprn in sixth gcar ancl thcsprr'il(l 0l'tortltrt' is corr-l'ilrrrctl. thc l'lcribilitl srrlust()lrisl)ing llllrl urrlcss y()rrglancc at thc tlch. yoLlIravc no iclca ol'the- cngine

lpnr. Floor the accclcratol and whilethcrc's u tnlce ol'cnginc knock. thc acccl-crltion is still asscltivc.

Such a tractablc naturc is conl'irnrccl bythc lop-gcar accclcratiolr tinrcs. Althoughthe cnginc is only turning l(XX) rpnr at 30nrph in sixth gear. -50 nrph cornes up inonlt, 7.0 sccorrds. Fronr -50 to 70 rnph. thecnginc has pickctl up cnough rprn andtorqLlc tllat thc tinrc (lfops to l rncrc -J.7sccorrrls. A Larnborghirri Diablo ncccls 7.-5scconcls t() covcr the sarnc intclval in topgcar artl thc F.10 nee (ls ll.l scconcls.

Bcst ot'all. whatcvcr thc rieht lixrt clocsis instuntly tlanslltccl to thc rcar u'lrccls irra \\'ay n() tulbo crrginc curr crttulutc. 'l'hisconrbination ol' t'lcxibi I it1' antl shccr rnus-e lc. tltc l)creclli()n tlrlrt llrc crrsirrc is ne vcrstrcssc(l. toscthcr u'ith thc hou'l ol'a big-caplcity V-12 whcn uccclcratiltg artl itsrclativc hush at l constunt throttlc. cnsr.lrcsthlt this is LrncloLrbtcrlll'thc Iincst high-pcrlorrnlrncc ploduction cngirrc in thcworlcl.

Ploblenrsl C)nly l rcvcrsc gcar that'sdil'l'icult to cnsusc.

YoLr puy ir pricc li)r this pcrlirnnancc utthc gls purnp. yct thc cl'l'icicnct' ol' thccnginc. a dras cocl'l'icicrrt ol'.just 0.-12. ancltltc crtolrnous bcnclits ol'a light 257t)-pottrttl t urh ut'igltt rtrclrrt c()n\unlpti()n is

107

rcasonablc. On a dict ol unlcaded pre-rniurtr. it still rcturns 19.3 rrrpg lt highways1-rcccls. Thlash the clr ancl it drops to.just9 rnpg.

Clucial to the McLarcn's handlirrgexccllencc arc thfcc kc_t' lactors: the ccn-tral clrir,ing position. thc car's dinrinutileditttcnsions. und a Lrniquc patcntcd sus-pcnsion s)'stcrn.

Thc adlantagcs ot'thc ccntral dfiving1-rosition are nlury: thc drivcr can hc posi-tioncd f'urthcr lirru'ard. his lcgs slottcclbctwce n the r'' hccl archcs in two long car-borr-libcr bcarns that house thc controls.The' rclationship with an Fl racing car isobvious. Thcrc are no ol'f .sct pcdals. andthc tiny. alnrost-r crticul stccrins ."', hccl ispositiorrcd so thc drivcr's right hancl dropsfhrrn the rirn to thc alkry rcar lcvcr.

Fnrnr this position ancl r,r,ithout thc hin-dntrtcc ol rn A-pillar. yotr can scc thc pa\ c-nle nt .iust I'iVc lcct in ll'ont ol' thc car'through the hugc r.r. indslricld. You c;uicklvlcarn that thc cornpact F I it's ahout nincir.rchcs narrrlvucr ilnd scvcll inchcs shortcrthan a Diablo-cllt be placcd within

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inche s ol'thc apcx. Arrcl hccause- thc dlive-ris sitting in linc with the roll center. anyirttprcssion ol body roll-and thcrc is alittlc is renrovcd.

Handling'l You won't l'ind a I'incrsLlpe rcal chassis in the world. There arccorttpror.ttises in huilding a car t() bc obc-dicrtt u'hilc drivin-s slowly. yct u,ith thcstabilit)' rcquired to c()pc with wa4r spcedsancl cxtrcrnc s-li)rccs, but in thc McLarcnthcrc arc le w ot'thc dcsign botches \\'c'!cacceptcd rs norrlal in cars ot'this brced.Ycs. thc suspcnsion is f'irrn. thc lircs noisy.

and the ride at low speecls arrd on hish-ways jiggly (cspccially firr thc passe ngcrs).Yet on intcrcsling back roads whcrc itcounts thc supplcncss and corr]posurcarc lcrlarkahlc.

There is no ignoring thc wcisht ol'thcstc-cring whcn palking. hut ahovc schtxrl-zonc spceds. thc stcering has an alnrostnrclty prccision to its lcel. Lou'-spccdcol'ncrs sLrsgest that lhc stccring is low-gcarcd. Wrong. With 2.U turns lock tolock, thc steering is dirc-ct and alive . firllof lecl yct without kickback.

On slorv c()rncrs. thc cornbination of ancxccptionul powcr'-to-wci-lht ratio and adrivcr-oricntcd chussis allows y()u t() trlrniltto a corncr with.jrrst a tingc of'undcrstccrand thcn powcrslidc thror-rgh it. halancingthc car bv using both throttlc and steerinc.The powcr ovcrstcer is so progrcssilethal onc rlocs not hcsitatc to cxploit it.despite thc conscqucr.rccs ol clashins this$815.(XX) ntachinc.

LJltinrate-ly. thc McLarcrr docs exactlywhat it is askcd to do. In last corncrs. itgrips surely and prccisely. Llnless you

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110 CAFI and DRIVER

McLAREN FI SUPERCAR

have the responses of a Keke Rosberg-one of the F I 's early customers-you runout of bravery, as the strength of the g-fbrces builds up, long before the Mclarenloses adhesion or poise.

It is this certain predictability ofbehav-ior, the instantaneousness of everydynamic aspect, that makes the Fl sosecure to drive, yet because the levels ofperfbrmance are so high, the driving chal-lenge remains intense and involving.

Only in one area does the nGcompro-mise approach suf'fer. Finding the rightdisc-brake pads to cope with slow driving,and dealing with the rigors of 200-mphstops, means the massive, vented fbur-caliper but non-assisted brakes feelwooden when the pedal is first prcssedupon. They need a strong right lbot andmost drivers would probably appreciate ananti-lock system.

Does the central driving position haveany disadvantages? Once you learn thetechnique of entry, it is-unless you'rereally bulky-surprisingly easy to get inand out. The secret is to place your bumon the fbrward edge of the deeply dishedleft-hand passenger seat (not the right,because of the gear lever) with your legsoutside the car. Lean back on both armsand swing your legs into the car, over thehand-brake bank. and down into the lbotwell. Then swivel your body across andtlop into the driver's seat. Then close thescissors-style doors; you can't pull themshut once you're belted in.

Visibility is brilliant up tiont, but it suf--l-crs to the rear. There are lw() intcrior mir-rors, but with passengers aboard, they areuseless. The exterior mirrors only allbrd aclue of what's going on behind thc car.Because the passengers sit beside andbehind the driver. conversation can be one-directional. Heat also spreads fiom thebulkhead into the twin luggage compart-ments-each containing custornizedleather luggage-and to the inner edge ofthe close-fitting two passenger seats.

Mclaren's obsession with weight hasobviously paid off. The company hasproduced the fastest, most-accelerativeproduction car the world has ever seen.That it is also a marvelous driver's car isbeyond dispute. However, in building acar capable of charting territory no roadmachine has ever broached before.Mclaren is also asking the driver tostif'le the car's perfirrmance, at least on theroad. That the McLaren is capable ofdelivering pleasure even when the driveris skimming its potcntial is a real measureof its achievernent.

There are no plans to sell the supercarin the U.S. because. Gordon Murray says,

:t :;s]]T:st $6 rnillion to certirY it' o

Vehicle type: mid engrne. rear wheel-drive, I +2-passenger, 2 door coupe

Price as tested (England): $81 5,000

Maior standard accessories: power windows and mirrors,A/C, leather uggage, external battery charger

Sound system: Kenwood 1 0 disc CD changer, 5 speakers

ENGINEType............ ................V -12, aluminum block and headsBore x stroke....... ....... .....3.38 x 3.41 in. 86 0 x 87.0mmDisplacement ........ .370 cu in, 6064ccCompression ratio........................... .....................10.5:1Engine-control system.......Bosch Motronic, with port fuel

lnJecttonEmrssions controls.....3-way catalyt c converter, feedback

luel-arr-ratio control, auxil aryatr pump

Valve gear ...... chain-drven double overhead cams,4 valves per cy inder, hydraulic

Jrfters, vanable Intake trmingPower (SAE net) ...... .. 618 bhp @ 7400 rpmTorque (SAE net) .. . .............419 lbjt @ 4000 rpmRedline ....... ....... ... ..........7500 rpm

cHASSTS/BODYType.............. ..... unrt construction with 2 rubber isolaled

subframes

Fronta areaGround clearance.........Curb weight...... ........Werght distribution. F/RFuel capacity... ..... ....Oi caoacitv..

... 19.2 sq ft.........5.1 rn

. 2519ll)41 .2/sa.Aah

....23.8 ga.........6.3 qt

INTERIORLuggage space..... .... ..Front seat.....seat adjustments. ..

Restraint systems, frontleat.

General comfort.... .....Fore-and-aft suppo(......Ld'E'dr ruppur( ..

SUSPENSIONF:....... . ind. unequal-length control arms, coil springs,

antr-roll barR:........ ..rnd, unequal ength control arms, corl springs,

antr-roll bar

.....alumrnum honeycomb andcarbon'f rbeLrernf orced plastic

........ .. ...1 0 cu tt..... ...........oucKel

..fore and aft, seatback angle,thigh support

..... .manual 4 po nt harnessmrn' 'al ? ^^ .r halrc

... ...poor fa r good excellent. poor fair good excellent

.... ...poor farr good excellent

DRIVETRAINTransmrssronFrnal dr ve ratroGear Ratro

2319713916

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ill

vvr 0.93

Mph/l000 rpm8.2

12 1

15519123229.4

... .............. .6,speed....2.37r1, lrmited sIp

Max. test speed62 mph {7500 rpm)9i mph (7500 rpm)

1 16 mph (7500 rpm)143 mph (7500 rpm)174 mph (7500 rpm)221 mph (7500 rpm)

...... ...... .....107.0 In

... ....... 61.7/57.9 In

...... ....... ....168.8 rn...... .... .....71.6rn

..44.9 n

STEERINGTvpe.........Turns lock to |ock...... . ....Turnrng crrc e curb-to-curb.

BRAKESF: .... ... ...... ............... ......R:.... .... ...... .... .

Power assist.

WHEELS AND TIRESWheel sizeWheel type..Trres...... ...Goodvear F1, F

racK-ano-prnron..2.8

..... .... ......................42.6 t'r

... ...13 1 x 1.3-rn vented disc12 0 x 1.o-rn vented disc

... .... ..... none

.F: 9.0 x 17 in, Rr 11 5 x 17 in.... .... ... ..casl magnesum

235t 452R-1 7. R. 31 51 452R.1 1

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIESWheelbase..Track, F/R.LengthWrdth... ..Height

TEST RESULTS-ACCELERATION SecondsZero to 30 mph... ...................................................1.8

40 mph.......................................................2.350 mph.......................................................2.760 mph.......................................................3.270 mph.......................................................3.980 mph.......................................................4.590 mph............ .,,.......................................5.6

100 mph ......................................................6.31 10 mph ................................................-....-7.2120 mph......................................................9.2I30 mph ....................................................10.4'f 40 mph ........................................-...........1 1.2150 mph................. ..... ........ .................12.8160 mph ....................................................14.6'l 70 mph ....................................................17.2

.Cotrl6! oI Auracu & Motot

180 moh ....................................................20.3190 moh ........................-................,..........23.8200 mph ....................................................28.0

Topgear passing tims. 30-50 mph.....-..................7.05G-70 moh........................3.7

Standing r/a-mile.........................1 ,|.1 sec @ 138 mphTop speed {redlins limited}............................221 mph

BRAKING7N mph @ impending |ockup..........................162 ftModu|ation............................poor fair good excellentFads.................................none light moderate heawFront-rear balance.. .pmr tair good

FUEL ECONOMYObserved fuel economy..................................13 mpg