For the past three years, the team at McLaren Special Operations has been working on a rather special iteration to honour Ayrton Senna's first F1 championship. From the image gallery above, the three years-worth of efforts seems to have evidently paid off with the new McLaren P1 GTR that is outfitted in Rocket Red and Anniversary White paint to recall the Marlboro livery that Senna popularly raced.
McLaren officially took the wraps off this P1 GTR on Tuesday that hinted at much more than just a special graphics package. “Beco” as named by the owner faced the MSO's scalped to get an overhaul of its aerodynamic functions and some blessed tweaks to make the car even more vicious.
McLaren's P1 GTR debuted back in 2015 with a power of staggering 966bhp on top from a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine that was coupled with an electric motor. This was 88bhp higher than the standard P1 already. However, in case of the rather special P1 GTR, we can expect nothing less than a 1000bhp on tap. Apart from that, a 24-carat gold heatshield, Lexan rear cover, and tweaked engine bay shrouds compliment the hybrid powertrain.
McLaren has increased the downforce to as much as 771kg with new front dive planes, along with a wider front splitter and a Gurney flap at the rear. Honouring Senna's MP4/4 F1 car, this iteration also sports larger endplates than the standard car. However, it is a bit difficult to get one's eyes off the 30-year-old colour scheme that first debuted when Senna won the 1988 championship title in a McLaren MP4/4.
The exterior of the car is badged by the Senna brand trademark on the front splitter and air intakes, which reads “Driven to Perfection”. Additionally, the doors also sport the Brazilian flag and a barcode that is used in place of “Marlboro” due to advertisement restrictions. The P1 GTR's nose wears Senna's 1988 racing number 12, and one-off 30th-anniversary laurels sit behind the windows.
The British automaker has spent over 800 hours of manpower on the paint as well as the exterior design work. On the inside, the interiors complement the language with one of Senna's quote that reads “I am not designed to finish 2nd or 3rd...I am designed to win,”