​​McLaren 60th Anniversary Special Blog Part 1 – The Ultimate Series

McLaren is one of the most successful names in motorsport and in the past decade, they have quickly joined the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin to become one of the most relevant supercar brands. The story began with a young Bruce McLaren, who left Cooper Cars in Formula One to establish his own racing team, starting with the McLaren M1A competing in the Group 7 class of United States Road Racing Championship (USSRC), which later became Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am). The Can-Am series is where McLaren’s success as a racing team began. This was followed by its F1 debut in 1966 with the M2B at the Monaco Grand Prix, going on to become the second most successful F1 team ever, with 8 Constructor’s and 12 Driver’s Championship titles.

McLaren’s first foray into road cars began with the M6GT, which was based on one of the three closed-cockpit MA6 chassis that were originally built for the International Championship for Makes in 1969. Sadly, McLaren’s intention of producing 250 road cars came to an abrupt end with a fatal accident while testing a new racing car. It wasn’t until 1992 that McLaren’s road car dream was revived by Gordon Murray and Ron Dennis with the McLaren F1, one of the first production cars to feature a carbon fibre monocoque and the world’s fastest production car at the time, with a top speed of 386.4 km/h (240.1 mph). 

Almost a decade after the F1, the SLR McLaren was created with Mercedes-Benz in 2003. The SLR was followed by the MP4-12C when McLaren Automotive was established in 2010. Since then, McLaren has been producing the models that we all know and love today, most notably, the Ultimate Series cars. The Ultimate Series is the pinnacle of McLaren road cars, which follows the innovative and bold way of thinking and legacy left behind by Bruce McLaren and the McLaren F1, a car which redefined the supercar of our dreams.

BINGO currently has two McLaren Ultimate Series cars available for negotiation – worthy additions to any dream garage. 

2015 McLaren P1 (286/375 – Cadbury Purple)

The McLaren P1 was hailed as the spiritual successor of the F1 when it was unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, as it became another McLaren which redefined what a supercar could be. The P1 is part of the ‘holy trinity’ of hybrid-powered hypercars, joining the LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder. The P1 was the first McLaren in the Ultimate Series, followed by the Senna, Speedtail and Elva. 

What makes the P1 so special are some of  its technological features which have been derived from McLaren’s F1 team. Among these special features is the “Instant Power Assist System”, which provides instant torque when accelerating thanks to its electric motor that doubles as a sophisticated solution to minimise turbo lag. The P1 also has active aero systems, on the rear wing and under the body at the front, which generates an astonishing 600 kg of downforce at 160 mph. The P1 also has an advanced suspension system, named “Race Active Chassis Control”. It allows the driver to adjust the car’s height for optimal performance and limit the car’s body movement on track. 

It is the only turbocharged hypercar in the ‘holy trinity,’ powered by a twin-turbo 3.8-litre M838T V8 producing 903 hp and 900 Nm of torque when combined with the electric motors. This results in a 0-60mph acceleration in just 2.8 seconds, with a top speed of 350 km/h (217mph). 

All of these groundbreaking features make the P1 the fastest of the ‘holy trinity’ when it comes to track performance (track dependent). The P1 raised the bar on what a true performance car could be in the 2010s, just like the F1 did in the 1990s. It is also the rarest model of the ‘holy trinity,’ with just 375 examples made. 

This particular P1 is the 286th example, featuring a unique and rare metallic exterior finish from the factory, known as Cadbury Purple. To match the exterior’s name, the interior has a chocolate-like dark brown finish complemented by white stitching. Out of all the McLaren P1s in Japan, this one is perhaps the most striking.

This example is still owned by its original owner, with just over 1,000km on the odometer. This P1 is currently part of the BINGO Collection, and is now available for negotiation.

2021 McLaren Elva (55/149 – Casa Blue)

The McLaren Elva is the fourth and latest McLaren in the ultra-exclusive Ultimate Series, joining the P1, Senna, and Speedtail. The Elva is also the first open top road-legal sports car in McLaren’s history, paying tribute to Bruce McLaren’s 1960s open-top racers – the M1A, M1B and M1C.

The Elva is powered by a 4-litre twin-turbo M840TR V8 engine, which was also used on the Senna and Speedtail. It produces 804hp at 7,500rpm with 800 Nm of torque at 5,500rpm. The M840TR engine is the most powerful McLaren ever built. 

This particular Elva is the 55th example out of the 149 produced. The car features a Casa Blue exterior, complemented by a McLaren Orange interior. It was delivered at a McLaren Delivery Ceremony held at Fuji Speedway, where the owner took the wheel and drove it around the track. 

The current owner has owned a number of McLarens in the past, and says that the Elva has great handling and stability, and when driving it he feels at one with the car almost as if riding a motorcycle. 

The odometer reads less than 580km. This Elva comes with all of the accessories, such as a Boston bag and special helmet made by BELL with the Elva’s silhouette, all of which are in excellent condition.