While it may seem irrelevant at first, to talk about an owner’s tour of ultra-rare McLaren F1s on a BMW-focused media site. However, BMW and the McLaren F1 are inextricably linked, all thanks to what is possibly the most brilliant engine ever made.
The 6.1 liter naturally-aspirated V12 masterpiece powering these wonderful McLaren F1s was developed by BMW for Gordon Murray, the mastermind behind the F1. Paul Rosche, the famous and brilliant engine designer for BMW, developed the V12 for the F1 specifically. It featured twelve individual throttle bodies, a dry sump oil system, BMW’s VANOS variable valve timing and over 600 hp. The engine bay was even wrapped in heat-reflective gold foil. It was more artwork than an engine.
To celebrate what is quite possibly the best driving car, McLaren F1 owners held a private tour, bringing all of their brilliantly rare cars together, every possible variant of the F1. The total included 69 standard road cars, 28 race cars, three F1 GTs (Longtail) and five F1 LMs. That’s a lot of McLaren F1s and probably the most exciting collection of cars one could see.
The McLaren F1 was an astonishing car in its own right, with a brilliant chassis, the purest of driving dynamics and breathtaking performance. But at the center of its brilliance is its engine. That glorious free-breathing V12 is easily one of the greatest engines of all time, possible the greatest. It made the F1 the pinnacle of supercar performance even far past its prime.
Imagine hearing 105 McLaren F1s driving in the same vicinity, 1,260 cylinders firing in unison? It would sound like petrol-head heaven and look like it, too. Th e F1 is one of the greatest cars in the history of the automobile and it’s powered by one of the greatest engines of all time. A BMW engine.
[Source: Top Gear]
