McLaren F1 Design Study by Marino Binni

Given the recent spy shots of the next generation McLaren F1 floating around the internets, there is much speculation about what the car might look like. Designer and longtime McLaren fan Marino Binni offers his own concept of what he'd like the car to look like. "I didn't want to to copy the look of the F1 but rather be inspired by the compactness and 'feel' of the original," he says. You can click the image below to enlarge it.I find the wheels particularly fascinating, and I like the clean side crease, accented by a very neat and interesting side exhaust treatment. The overall proportions are close to the original car, but the most direct reference is in the shape of the door cut lines. Otherwise the car feels very Italianate to me, and very nicely done! Bravo Marino!

News Flash: F1 Car Runs on REAL racetrack!

I've been turned off of F1 for years because of the increasing number of Mickey Mouse expansion circuits with acres of gravel traps and no elevation change that have become so prevalent, combined with the neutering of formerly great circuits like Monza, Silverstone, and Spa.  Let's not even dwell on the elimination of places like Zandvoort, Brands Hatch, and the Osterreichring from the calendar entirely many years ago.  But this video was a true breath of fresh air! Here we see Jenson Button driving his McLaren F1 car on Australia's immortal Mount Panorama circuit--the first time a GP car has turned a wheel on this legendary course.  Naturally, he shattered the lap record.  Enjoy the sight so rare these days of an F1 car going over crests of hills, hitting actual bumps, all with real trees nearby the circuit. It almost recalls a bygone era...

via Motorsport Retro

Update on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 11:34AM by Bradley Price

Thanks to commenter "Ben," here is the entire Jenson Button lap in-car! It'll make your eyeballs sweat!

McLaren M8D - In the nude

Dan Gurney in the McLaren M8D at St. Jovite, 1970, in the days before crash stuctures and carbon tubs...

Photo Credit: Dave Friedman

Hamilton and Button sit in Senna's McLaren for the first time

I saw this video on Motorsport Retro, and had to post it here.

Obviously this clip was made for commercial purposes, but I think the awe and the emotion that comes through in this surprisingly intimate footage is genuine.  What a pair of lucky chaps.

Automobiliac Video of the week: Earth Pounding thrills in the McLaren M6B

Driver Gary Sheehan has posted some awesome driving videos on Youtube. The best are those of him driving the ex Jo Bonnier 1968 McLaren M6B Can Am car.  Here are two favorites:

In the first video, he laps Laguna Seca in anger with 600hp at his command. In the second he is at Sears Point (Infineon Raceway). The second video is shakier, but it's great because you can watch the throttle linkage rise and fall in the center of the frame, showing you exactly what his right foot is doing!