All specialists agree that the McLaren F1 is a masterpiece. His master will be Gordon Murray. But to make a perfect car, it takes time.
Designing the first carbon monocoque prototype of the first McLaren F1, internally named “XP1” will have absorbed 6,000 hours of work at the Shalford workshop.
This first chassis is finally ready to receive its mechanics at the beginning of December 1992. After having worked tirelessly, the team sees this monohull as a first victory. But those who thought they were resting will be disappointed.
The car will drive at Christmas
It was indeed without counting on good old Gordon Murray, who declares to his men:
“The first car would be running by Christmas, come hell or high water.” Sentence that could be translated as “The car will be running at Christmas, rain or snow. “The car will run at Christmas, otherwise I’ll kill the person in charge”.
Then begins a real marathon which the protagonists will remember for a long time. The members of the project, almost all from the Formula 1 team, thought they would have a less hectic life by joining the road car department.
It was missed. But why was it absolutely necessary that this car be driven before the holidays?
Gordon has a plane to catch
“Gordon Murray had booked a flight to South Africa at 3 pm on December 23rd. It was absolutely unthinkable that he would not spend Christmas with his family. His determination to get the car rolling before he left was complete. Even if it was to walk a meter or two in the parking lot, she had to drive before the 23rd. It was like that, he had decided that it would be over before she left on vacation, ”said a McLaren employee.
The lost weekend
The fast-paced completion of this “XP1” has since been set in stone in McLaren Cars mythology. Even today McLaren employees call it “The Lost Weekend”. The lost weekend.
The reason is simple: no one slept in the days leading up to December 23. The wife of mechanic Paul Flood gave birth a week before “the car was delivered”. Upon hearing the news, Paul will take an hour to get to the hospital and meet his child in just a few minutes.
Before returning immediately to the factory. Some wars don’t wait. On the morning of December 23, Gordon Murray arrives early at the factory, dressed in a colorful shirt.
When he walks through the studio door, the shop is populated by ghosts with gray faces. The men are exhausted, but they all want to get it over with and start this car that occupies their days and nights.
We push the “XP1” to the center of the workshop. The wheels squeak on the painted floor of the workshop. She is there, completely naked, without painting, ready to be officially born.
Around the cradle, technicians from TAG (Avant Garde Techniques, McLaren’s long-standing partner) are present, surrounded by the entire McLaren Cars technical team. The baby will be born and Papa Gordon will join Mother Christmas.
The car does not start
Gordon walks forward, the door is opened for him. He climbs down into the central seat of the McLaren and with a determined gesture presses the start button. The BMW V12 engine begins to shake the room, but that shake will quickly spread to team members, and for other reasons.
While we expect to see the baby advance, nothing happens, especially not the first gear report. After a second unsuccessful attempt, the technicians jumped to “XP1”.
The clutch spins in a vacuum due to an assembly error. The shaft is too long, by fitting a spacer, the clutch can finally bite.
Champagne!
The XP1 then leaves the workshop to reach the outer courtyard, named after champagne corks. The McLaren finally starts, it is unlike anything known.
This automotive legend will finally travel the 300 meters that separate the workshop from the “McLaren International” building located on the other side of the road. Gordon is at the wheel and heads straight for the scale of the racing team.
The end of the morning is just around the corner. Gordon Murray still has a few handfuls of minutes left to finish the job. The verdict falls on the digital display of the scale: 1003 kg.
The objective is fulfilled, the McLaren F1 will be a featherweight. It’s time to head to the parking lot behind the assembly shop. And catch that flight.