Exciting as the launch of the new McLaren MP4-12C may be, it’s worthwhile to remember the McLaren F1 GTR, which at the time of its launch was the ultimate supercar. A central driving position, fanatical emphasis on removing unnecessary weight and a 600-horsepower V12 engine ensured that this roadgoing car would have no equal. Designer Gordon Murray’s McLaren F1 was never intended to be a racing car. It only saw competition because customers insisted on racing the F1 and McLaren obliged these customers by preparing several LM variants for the 1995 season. Changes to the car were mainly to comply with mandatory safety requirements, more weight reduction and improving aerodynamics by adding a rear wing. Performance calculations for the race car would indicate a much better power to weight distribution than the road car's .59 BHP per liter.
Reportedly, the V12 engines from BMW used stock internals throughout the first season of racing. With this setup, the LM-GTRs dominated races for production based GT cars. Seven examples were then entered in the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the competition included purpose-built prototype racing cars which afforded stiff opposition.
This McLaren F1 LM-GTR Tokyo Ueno Clinic that conquered LeMans in 1995 was driven by the driving team of Masanori Sekiya, JJ Lehto and Yannick Dalmas. On its the first attempt, the car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and to add insult to injury, the car was sponsored by a Japanese dental clinic. The McLaren F1 GTR's racing domination ended when Porsche and Mercedes-Benz started fielding true racing cars in the McLaren's class. The F1 GTR’s 1995 win at Le Mans was probably the last one for a road car based machine.
First lap of the 1995 Le Mans in the Ueno Clinic Mclaren, which would be the eventual winner.
Winning at Zuhai, China in 1995
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