McLaren automotive was born from the racing team founded by legendary driver Bruce McLaren.
The team has dominated Formula One racing — winning 182 races and eight World Championships.
In 1988, McLaren obliterated the competition by winning 15 of the 16 races on the F1 schedule. Afterward, the team decided it was time to use its talents to build the ultimate road car.
Four years of development under the guidance of designers Gordon Murray (seen here) and Peter Stevens ...
... led to the McLaren F1.
In 1994, the car launched with an astronomical sale price of $810,000. Even with the lofty price tag, the F1 became an instant sensation. Famous owners included ...
... a young Elon Musk (who wrecked his car) and ...
... comedian Jay Leno, who owns the first F1 imported to the US.
In its heyday, the F1 was unlike anything the world had ever seen. As a result, it reached near-mythical status among car lovers.
In 1998, a five-year-old McLaren F1 prototype reached an incredible 243 mph, becoming the fastest car in the world. The record would stand for a decade.
The car included numerous unique design features, such as a three-passenger cabin with the driver sitting in the middle.
It was also one of the first cars in the world to be built using carbon fiber.
Power for the F1 came from a naturally aspirated 6.1-liter BMW V12 — seen here in Leno's garage. In the standard road car, the engine produced 627 horsepower.
McLaren lined the inside of the engine compartment with gold because the material is good at reflecting heat.
In 1995, the F1 GTR racers dominated the grueling 24 Hours of LeMans endurance sports-car race, finishing first, third, fourth, fifth, and 13th.
Even more impressive, the leading GTRs were essentially road cars modified to conform with racing regulations.
To commemorate the victory, McLaren built five special "LM" edition production cars painted in the company's distinctive "papaya orange" color.
But more people wanted the LM cars than the company originally intended to build. So McLaren took some of the 64 standard F1 road cars and upgraded them to "LM" specifications. The car auctioned off at Pebble Beach is one of the upgraded cars.
Distinguishing features on the LM include a carbon-fiber spoiler in front and ...
... a carbon-fiber wing in back.
The LM has a more powerful 680-horsepower version of the standard car's BMW V12 engine.
At 2,341 pounds, the LM is more than 100 pounds lighter than the standard F1.
The result is the fastest-accelerating F1 road car ever built, capable of reaching 60 mph in less than three seconds and 100 mph in less than seven seconds.
The increased down force from the rear wing, however, has cut the LM's top speed down to 225 mph.
In addition to the standard F1 and the LM, McLaren built several other special editions, including ...
... longtail race cars and ...
... the ultra-rare long-tail road cars.
Today, the flagship of McLaren's lineup is the million-dollar P1 hybrid hypercar.
Even after 20 years, however, the most memorable and iconic car in McLaren's stable is still the F1.
