McLaren Celebrates Le Mans Winning F1 With 750S Le Mans
The day after McLaren secured a dominate 1-2 finish in Formula 1, the brand is celebrating the manufacturers other race-winning F1 car: the McLaren F1.
This June 18th will mark the 30th anniversary of McLaren taking the overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That car was the McLaren F1 GTR #59, driven by JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya. To celebrate this milestone, the company will produce the McLaren 750S Le Mans special edition.
Only 50 of these exclusive, and surely expensive cars will be built. Mechanically, not much will differ with the Le Mans edition of the 750S, as it will utilize a mid-mounted, M840T 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 making 740 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. The car also includes a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and a Proactive Chassis Control III suspension.
Looking the Part
With the McLaren 750S Le Mans being a tribute to #59 F1 GTR race car, this new special edition needs to look the part.
On the outside, the Le Mans will be available in either Le Mans Grey or McLaren Orange. Those with a keen eye may notice the High Downforce Kit (HDK) is finished in gloss black. This includes items like an enlarged carbon fibre splitter on the front bumper, a raised carbon fibre active rear spoiler, louvred body colour carbon fibre under-wing panel. The kit is said to add 10% more downforce to the 750S.
Other gloss black exterior details include the carbon fibre roof scoop and louvres on the front fenders. If gloss black isn’t you thing, it’s also possible to get all the bits listed above in gloss visual carbon fibre.
The 5-spoke Le Mans wheels with blue/red center caps are a tribute to the F1, hiding gold brake calipers with a red McLaren logo. The latter can be the standard braking kit or the optional track kit. Out back are unpainted titanium exhaust tips as well as various Le Mans badging.
Theme Carries Inside
Inside the two-color choices are like the exterior. There’s carbon black alcantara with jet black softgrain leather and either dove grey Alcantara or McLaren orange Alcantara. Of course, Le Mans badging is found throughout, featured on the headrest and the floormat. There’s also a Le Mans plaque. But if one plaque isn’t enough, there’s the optional track record plaque that lists the 1995 Le Mans victory, and other various motorsport successes. That plaque is mounted inside the front luggage compartment and availalbe on any 750S.
More than just celebrating the brand’s success from 30 years ago though, McLaren states this new special 750S Le Mans honors the McLaren GT3 EVO cars competing at Le Mans this year, as well as McLaren’s return to the top class of Le Mans starting in 2027.
“The 750S Le Mans marks not just 30 years since our debut victory in the iconic race but an exciting time for the brand with McLaren GT3 EVO cars competing in this year’s race and the announcement of our return to the top, Hypercar class in 2027.” Said Henrik Wilhelmsmeyer, Chief Commercial Officer, McLaren Automotive.
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A 20+ year industry veteran, Mike rejoins the AutoGuide team as the Managing Editor. He started his career at a young age working at dealerships, car rentals, and used car advertisers. He then found his true passion, automotive writing. After contributing to multiple websites for several years, he spent the next six years working at the head office of an automotive OEM, before returning back to the field he loves. He is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA). He's the recipient of a feature writing of the year award and multiple video of the year awards.
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