Mclaren F1 owners now able to upgrade their beloved cars.

The McLaren F1 to many still remains the ultimate supercar of all time.  What with the Bugatti Veyron being tuned to feel like a very high speed saloon, as well as it having all wheel drive and weighing a whopping 810 kg more than the McLaren, it's easy to see why people would see the good old Macca as one of the purest supercars to have ever been built.

When it was released in 1994, the F1 came with a 6.1l V12 engine built by BMW, producing an impressive 618 bhp, while torque was rated at 480 lb ft.  Combine this impressive power output with a low kerb weight of only 1140kg, and an aerodynamic body shell, the McLaren F1 was able to achieve a mximum speed of over 240 mph.  The top speed meant that it was the fastest road car in the world, a title it held onto for 12 years until the arrival of the Bugatti Veyron.

So what about the upgrades? We'll begin with the engine.  The engine gets a 0.4mm increase in bore, but still remains a 6.1l. The engine also gets lighter pistons, new conrods, modified cylinder heads, new intake and exhaust valves,  a raised compression ratio of 12:0.1 from the previous 11:0.1, new camshafts, variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust side, and a new ECU.  This means that power has been raised to 691 bhp (700 PS), but while the increase of engine power might call for a modified gearbox, the one in the McLaren is plenty strong to handle the extra grunt.

Another upgrade is the availablity of carbon ceramic brakes. The discs measure 380mm in diameter at the front with 6 pot calipers, while the rear discs measure 320mm with 4 pot calipers.  The use of this material has enabled further reduction in unsprung weight by 40kg.

Modifications to the chassis include a newly developed adaptive engine mount system which reduces vibrations coming out of the engine bay, and also helps contain the mass of the engine better during cornering.  There is also a new adaptive damper system, as well as new 18 inch magnesium wheels and tyres, further reducing unsprung mass. The combination of these chassis modifications guarantee an increase in the cornering capabilites of the F1.

Bodywork modifications come in the form of removing the automatic brake and balance aerofoil system, as well as the removal of the active underbody air management system. 

A total of 63 kilograms have been saved, thanks to all the weight saving measures bringing the total weight of the car down to 1077kg.  All of the above mentioned modifications also means that the 0-60 mph time takes a lightning 2.9 secs, the quarter mile can be covered in 10.1 secs @ 144 mph, while top speed is estimated at a Bugatti Veyron-threatening 250 mph.

---