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McLaren F1 Gets 2021 Redesign, Looks Like a Faster Speedtail

Some say the McLaren F1 is the best supercar/hypercar of all time. They could be right, and after hearing the story of this 1990s legend, you'll begin to understand the F1 would be the biggest celebrity of the year if it were built right now, in 2021.
McLaren F1 Dets 2021 Redesign, Looks Like a Faster Speedtail 5 photos
Photo: TheSketchMonkey/YouTube screenshot
McLaren F1 Dets 2021 Redesign, Looks Like a Faster SpeedtailMcLaren F1 Dets 2021 Redesign, Looks Like a Faster SpeedtailMcLaren F1 Dets 2021 Redesign, Looks Like a Faster SpeedtailMcLaren F1 Dets 2021 Redesign, Looks Like a Faster Speedtail
McLaren started as a racing company that had no interest in frills or flamboyant butterfly doors. Legend has it that company boss Ron Dennis and legendary technical director Gordon Murray were stuck in an airport waiting on a delayed flight in 1988, so they got talking about making a road car. And they agreed it would have to be superior to anything that ever had a license plate.

The car would need to be super-light and powerful without using turbochargers, which could spoil the rawness of it all. BMW was tasked with producing a monster of an engine, the V12 6.1-liter that eventually produced over 600 horsepower. It ran hot, so the engine bay was lined with real gold.

With this monster of an engine, the F1 could hit a top speed of 231 mph, making it the fastest vehicle in the world, not just at launch, but until Bugatti launched the Veyron.

Carbon fiber also set the F1 apart from every other car that had ever been called "super." It was primarily racing technology and contributed to making the McLaren cost around $815,000. Because only 64 road cars were made, each one is incredibly valuable now, with some experts saying each unit is worth over $10 million.

Expensive and irreplaceable, the McLaren F1 is not the kind of car you'd want to customize. But a lot can be done in the digital world, where pixels can be moved around in just the right way to transform a classic 1990s exotic into one that looks like it was made yesterday. Yes, we're talking about a modernization rendering, this time put together by YouTube artist TheSketchMonkey.

The redesigned F1 takes a lot of inspiration from the other cars. The front end from the Speedtail seems ideal for this makeover, while the flowing lines around the side come from the 720S.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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