F1 Throwback: McLaren Rebuilds Ayrton Senna’s Legendary P1 GTR

McLaren P1 GTR

McLaren, the England-based F1 team, has created unique McLaren P1 GTR racing car, wrapped in Ayrton Senna’s iconic Marlboro livery. McLaren built this one-off model to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s first ever F1 World Championship title.

The Brazilian-born Ayrton Senna has been considered by many as one of the greatest F1 drivers of his era, perhaps of all time. He won three F1 World Championships for the England-based McLaren in 1988, 1990 and 1991. The Brazilian died in a racing crash while competing in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Senna was known in the racing world for pushing his machine to the limit.

McLaren Special Operations (MSO) was commissioned to build the legendary McLaren P1 GTR race car, and the result is absolutely stunning. It took the McLaren development team more than 800 hours to complete the painstaking process of rebuilding the faithful replica of Sienna’s legendary Marlboro livery. The entire design was carefully hand-painted and finished in McLaren Rocket Red and Anniversary White.

Legend Reborn: The modified McLaren P1 GTR

McLaren P1 GTR
Image source: McLaren.com

Nicknamed “Beco,” the Marlboro livery features a striking red and white paint job along with Senna’s race number, and the Senna branded exterior script.

Designed with the full blessing of Senna’s family, the Beco also include the Brazilian’s flags on the car’s flanks and Brazilian’s “Driven to Perfection” slogan on the doors and intake.

Aside from the striking red and white paint job, the legendary Marlboro livery also include a 24-carat gold heat-shield, a Lexan engine cover, modified engine bay shrouds and a number of exterior modifications. McLaren also added specially developed lightweight racing seats to keep the car’s weight down.

The race car’s interior features of a range of F1-inspired modifications, including Senna-branded dash and door panels, an Alcantara-trimmed fascia panel, racing seats from the McLaren Senna, and an Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel (color-matched to Senna’s wheel).

Outside, the modified car has been fitted with an updated rear diffuser, a new front splitter, a larger rear wing, and new dive planes. These huge updates mean that this one-off McLaren model now generates up to almost 1,800 lbs of downforce.

Like the legendary McLaren P1 GTR, the modified P1 GTR also features a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged engine, but it now benefits from an undisclosed boost in power over the original 968bhp engine.

The new owner calls the modified race car “Beco,” after a pet name Senna’s family gave to the former F1 champion. In addition, the new owner will also receive a bespoke crash helmet with a livery that complements the legendary McLaren P1 GTR race car.

Source: Driving.ca