Yahoo Autos McLaren Just Spent 18 Months Restoring This F1 GTR
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Today, McLaren announced a new certification service for the F1 so owners can verify the history of their cars. The first car to be certified is this, F1 GTR chassis #25R, which just underwent an 18-month restoration by McLaren Special Operations. It is incredibly gorgeous.
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This F1 was built to run in the 1997 FIA GT Championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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It's a "longtail" F1, which features radically different bodywork than the F1 road car, and the F1 GTR that won Le Mans in 1995.
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That long tail not only gave this car its nickname, it helped improve aerodynamics.
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At Le Mans, this car was raced by Ray Bellm - who was one of the driving forces behind the F1 GTR program - Andrew Gilbert-Scott and Masanori Sekiya.
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Unfortunately, it didn't finish, suffering an oil line failure hours before the end of the race.
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After the 1997 season, this car enjoyed a long racing career in Japan, culminating in a 2005 race at Fuji Speedway. That makes this the longest raced F1.
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After its retirement, it sat in a collection for many years, so when its new owner purchased it in 2016, a full restoration by McLaren Special Operations was commissioned.
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McLaren F1 GTR
The F1 GTR's wheel is a three-spoke wrapped in alcantara with carbon-fiber GTR logo in the middle. Aside from a few buttons, it's decidedly simple. That's why it's so great.
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The car even has gear ratios tailored for the high speeds of Le Mans.
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The livery is exactly as it was for Le Mans, too.
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It is stunning.
McLaren
This car now looks exactly like it did before entering the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1997.
