Past, Present, Future McLarens Come Together at Retromobile Paris
The Senna GTR, McLaren’s latest offering, is scheduled to appear at the Retromobile in Paris on Richard Mille stand. As if this alone isn’t enough attraction, the new McLaren car will also be joined by four stunning McLaren F1s from the past, along with a rare McLaren M6GT.
As an annual showcase of motoring heritage boasting a display of 1,000 vehicles, it’s safe to say that any car you see at the Retromobile Paris event is an icon in history, if not in the making.
The past and future classics will be presented at the show by famed watchmaking brand and McLaren Automotive partner Richard Mille.
“While we are focused on creating future classics including the Senna GTR that will be on display at Retromobile, it is equally as important to celebrate McLaren’s incredible road car heritage,” Alex Long, Managing Director, Europe, McLaren Automotive.
“The F1 remains an enduring icon of motoring culture and the four cars on show perfectly represent its remarkable road and racing legacy. Yet a quarter of a century before, our founder had expressed a bold ambition to create high performance cars for the road starting with the M6GT – in many ways the inspiration for today’s McLaren GT - and it will be wonderful to see this car joined by its descendants at Retromobile,” he added.
McLaren calls the Senna GTR “the latest and most extreme expression of the ultimate track car” that the hypercar manufacturer can possibly muster. Freed from all road and motorsport rules, the McLaren Senna is designed to deliver the fastest McLaren lap times outside of F1, with a power-to-weight ratio coming in at 694 PS per tonne—the highest of any track-focused McLaren car—and 1,000 kg of downforce.
As for the F1 lineup, these include the Le Mans –winning Ueno Clinic-liveried F1 GTR, otherwise known as the GT01R driven by JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya. It is the number 59 car that powered McLaren into the history books with victory on its debut in the French endurance circuit.
Also appearing at the Richard Mille stand is the F1 GTR #42—a guaranteed headturner because of its striking visuals. French team BBA Compétition, whose founder Jean-Luc Maury-Laribiére commissioned famous compatriot, sculptor Cesare “César” Baldaccini are the people responsible for its artistic facade.
The ‘Longtail’ that inspired McLare’s extreme road cars, as well as the famous chassis 69, which was one of the last road cars to be built in the final year of production (1998), round out the four F1 McLaren icons on display at the Paris show.
The McLaren F1s will be complemented by one of only four McLaren M6GT cars ever built. Representing the genesis of McLaren Automotive, the M6GT was developed from the M6 Can-Am racer by Bruce McLaren with the intention of selling a race car for the road. Half a century later, the company he founded has fully realized that dream with a range of innovative supercars that includes the 720S, GT and Speedtail.
The Retromobile in Paris runs from February 5 to 9 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Paris, France.
