FOR THE PRIMARY STRUCTURE OF McLAREN’S FIRST PRODUCTION SPORTS CAR, NO MATERIAL OTHER THAN CARBON COMPOSITE WAS EVER CONSIDERED
The McLaren F1 achieves its astonishingly lean target weight of only 1,018kg (2,244lbs) thanks largely to its moulded advanced carbon-composite monocoque chassis/body structure.
Subscribe to evo magazine
In fact, it was McLaren International who pioneered modern automotive moulded carbon-composite chassis technology in 1981 with its race-winning Type MP4/1 Formula 1 design.
Carbon fibre simply offers an immense stiffness-to-weight ratio, hence its use in chassis construction of every significant racing car built today.
The contrast in technology between Formula 1 and everyday car production is starkly demonstrated by the fact that some major manufacturers are only now beginning to consider aluminium chassis structures over steel, whereas leading Formula 1 designers abandoned steel for aluminium thirty years ago. It is over 10 years now since McLaren International led the way in rejecting aluminium in favour of advanced composite construction.
For McLaren’s first production sports car, therefore, nothing other than carbon composite was ever considered.
The F1’s styling reflects the structural freedom offered by McLaren Cars’ advanced composite moulding techniques, and combines purely functional aerodynamic form with aesthetic appeal.
The F1 incorporates dramatic aerodynamic design derived from long experience of Formula 1 frontier technology. It is the first production car to be developed aerodynamically by an expert team of Formula 1 aerodynamicists employing the latest in moving-ground wind tunnel technology.
Formula 1 engineering typically unites multiple disciplines in singular components, combining light weight with strength, form with function. This same engineering ethic is now embodied within the McLaren F1.
