TL;DR
McLaren F1
The McLaren F1 is widely regarded as one of the best McLarens ever produced. It is celebrated for its groundbreaking design and engineering, which set new standards in the automotive world [3:5]. The F1's status as a classic supercar is unmatched, and it continues to be a benchmark for performance and innovation.
765LT
The 765LT is highly praised for its striking appearance and exceptional performance. Many enthusiasts consider it one of the best-looking McLarens, with its sleek lines and aggressive stance [4:1]
[4:2]. Its raw driving experience and speed make it a top choice for those seeking a thrilling ride
[4:2].
P1
The McLaren P1 is another standout model, admired for its futuristic design and hybrid technology [5:3]
[5:4]. It combines incredible performance with advanced aerodynamics, making it a favorite among fans of cutting-edge automotive technology. The P1's distinctive look and impressive capabilities continue to capture the imagination of car enthusiasts worldwide.
720S
The 720S is often mentioned as one of the most beautiful McLarens, with its elegant design and powerful performance [5:1]
[5:2]. It is celebrated not only within the McLaren lineup but also as one of the best-looking cars of all time, showcasing McLaren's commitment to both aesthetics and engineering excellence.
MP4/4
In the realm of Formula 1, the MP4/4 is frequently highlighted as one of the most successful McLaren race cars, dominating the 1988 season with an unparalleled record [1:4]. While not a road car, its legacy in motorsport history contributes significantly to McLaren's reputation as a leading manufacturer of high-performance vehicles.
This car has bulletproof reliability with 0 DNFs in any session as far as I can remember, better than the other Mercedes-powered teams. There seem to be no weak tracks for the car and it excels in all weather conditions. Tyre wear is a non-issue for the car as the drivers have been able to go long on their tires without a severe drop-off.
I think the MP4/4 has finally been dethroned. The MCL39's only "weakness" is the car perhaps not suiting Lando before the suspension change.
Certainly very valid.
The obvious rival is the Prost//Senna era and I don't think it's controversial that while Norris//Piastri are an excellent lineup, they're not quite that tier.
So given the benefit to that 80s lineup, this car probably is indeed the best McLaren of all time.
Have you never heard of the MP4/4 ?
Okay I’ll edit my response to give more clarification. The MP4/4 was the most successful f1 car in history until 2023 when Max broke every record for a single car. The mp4/4 won 15 of 16 races that year. It would have won all of them but a back marker crashed into the lead McLaren in the 1 race it didn’t win. The mcl39 is certainly one of the best cars McLaren have made in the last 15 years. It’s seriously not the best McLaren ever.
In the last 15 years it is definitely the best without question. In 14 races it has won more races than any of their cars since 1988. There’s no competition or comparison since the mp4/4
I’d say Mika would have a word to say about his two drivers championship cars as the car helped him beat prime Schumacher and hamilton would have something to say about the 2008 car as well
I think I’d still put MP4/4 ahead of the RB19 on the sheer number of 1-2 finishes. Checo is far from being a Prost/Senna tier driver but his struggles with the car were kind of a hint of what was to come
There was an impatient driver in the McLaren, which was also low on fuel and had the Ferrari’s closing fast. If the driver had waited a few seconds and made a safe pass on the straight, there is no certainty that he would have gotten to the end without either running out of fuel or being caught. These are the facts.
Being taken out by another driver is often repeated dribble, mostly perpetuated by Senna fans.
It’s very difficult to compare across eras. All I can say for sure is this is best car in the last decade.
We will know at the end of the season, after all the points and records are calculated. It's def on the Mt Rushmore for McLarens. If norris and piastri can continue to work together and challenge each other to grow, the results will be historic.
With a sport that changes so much with time it is so difficult to say what is the best of ALL time. The MCL39 is a great car and certainly the best McLaren in a long while, but comparing it to the MP4/4 or even some earlier championship winners just isn't a fair comparison, as the cars from that time were just so different.
765 LT might be my favorite. Obviously there are some cooler cars, F1, P1, Senna, but the 765 just has all the right lines for me. Saw one in person a while back and it looked amazing.
Agree, the 720 body design and related models are just so beautiful imo. Distinct and daring.
Saw a Senna a while back. Looks pretty dope. But the 765 LT is my all time favorite.
As much as I agree with you I gotta go with any of them that work in the mclaren logo into the fascia. Such a timeless look. Also if they could just go ahead and make the Meliora that would be great
Nice infographic! I will air an opinion nobody probably even cares to hear: The GT design is totally unappealing to me. Looks like an awkward relative to all of their other designs. Not an ugly car, but just nowhere near the beauty of 720 or P1.
Also- the 12C has aged quite well. Never liked it when it was new but it has grown on me a lot.
A lot of their newer designs are pretty bad. The GT, Artura, and speedtail are all uninspired and boring. They look like GTA cars
Reminds me of a corvette for some reason
Having boat load of money, I would buy a used 12C in a heart beat. But alas, I only have a small dinghy of money.
All known cars? Are there unknown ones?
Mclaren X1 coachbuild, F1 GT, and many others
Missed the LM version put out to honor the 5 F1 GTR's that finished the 95' LeMans in 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 13th.
Where’s the M6GT?
Meanwhile, it's my least favorite. I loved the F1 team so I was assuming I was going to be obsessed with their first proper "mass" produced car but the MP4-12C just disappointed me in terms of looks. It looks like a car designed and built by one of those companies you hear of in passing that attempted to make a super car. It doesn't have anything distinctive about it which makes it a McLaren in order for me to fall in love with it. The 650S was when everything changed for me, suddenly McLaren had a trademark look to them and you could see the brand in the design.
Honestly, I love it for exactly the reason you listed out. While cars like the 570, 650, 675 etc etc all look phenomenal, I'm partial to the more simple cars with sleeker lines. The styling of the newer cars is just more aggressive than I'm really into, so the MP4 is the pinnacle of that high end look with stellar performance to me.
I appreciate your write up and effort towards your opinion though!
I first heard of this car in NFS Most Wanted 2012. It was my favorite car for the entire game (except maybe the LFA).
F1 is the best looking
I'm not sure thats a road car
what would make you say that
Lmao. Why are such clueless people even on this sub?
It is
Perfect mix of Aggression and elegance.
P1 has entered the chat.
I literally bursted out laughing during a zoom lecture.
It's seriously the best looking car ever... I sometimes try to compare the 765lt to the P1, which for me are the best looking mclaren cars, and still think the 765LT is better looking, I just can't get over how good it looks...
Really insane job by mclaren...
I agree. If I was buying a McLaren just on exterior looks it would for sure be the 765LT.
It's just so insane to me, if I ever get the money to buy a supercar, my first supercar would be a 765lt, I don't think any mclaren comes close to it personally... not the senna, not the p1, not the f1, not even the new w1
Also how crazy fast it is and how raw it is, you feel like you're stuck in a rocketship.....
My man , my good friends dad has a 765 in matte silver , it’s like right in between slightly glossy and matte at the same time, to me one of the most insane / beautiful machines I’ve ever seen in real life. The 765LT is truly one of the best.
My favorite car is the 675LT. That set the tone for the LT’s. The 600LT is a SPECTACULAR design with the exhausts pointing up!
p1, senna, speedtail, then 765 fs
Put the Sabre in there somewhere ahead of the speedtail
Yup, looks like a rocket ship!
Agreed!
Yes, I agree. 😏
In my opinion I think the 720s is one of the best looking cars of all time.
720s... They all have their merit but the 720 is a work of art
Exactly what I’m saying the 720s is something else
Not only out of the McLarens, it's one of the all time best looking cars period.
P1 or the 600lt with roof scoop
F1
I like it too, but i can't stand when the wing down. Reminds me too much of other McLarens. Also the fact that it has turbos and turbo sounds is kinda sad. It makes it sound like some JDM or tuner built. The rest of the trinity are naturally aspirated hybrid and this one should be too :(
You mean the 918 and the Laferrari yeah ? Awsome machines indeed.
The P1 is one of those majestic beasts
Indeed, a gorgeous one.
my personal favourite Mclaren is the 675LT... sucks that forza still don't have it in fh5 despite having nearly every other notable models available, including the newer and also less popular Mclaren GT and Artura.
and also coupe and spider versions for both 650S and 720S.
The 675LT is compact and super clean with an aggressive rear i like it.
the car selection in Fh5 is so weird. They’ll have 17 variants of the same car but miss some really iconic or fun cars
not to mention their strange decision regarding returning cars, they can bring a car back from the dead after being gone for several forza titles, but they can't bring the car from previous title straight to the next one for some strange reason.
Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV was a strange omission when basically every other Italian cars made a return.
the Porsche 928GTS would've been a great choice to return in the Back to The 90's series late in the game.
and the Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak became more relevant than ever now that fh5 had way more electric cars, with some potential serious competitions such as the Porsche Mission R or the Nio EP9.
oh, and, the Bowler EXR-S. like seriously? the most offroad oriented forza title to date, and they decided not to bring back one of the longest running and one of the most well known offroaders in horizon series.
I wish i could explain to you why things are the way they are in Horizon in regards of chaotic car choice, but just thinking about how i'm supposed to put it in words and translate it in English gives me headache.
Too long, didn't read: it's not as random as you might think, just an unfortunate mix.
Great pics bro, P1 is just different.
Big thanks brother, and yes she's timeless.
Thank you, i hope so as well.
For me is the P1, but I haven't tried them all, so I'm curious in your opinion.
F1 GT, it's objectively the best McLaren.
I'm with you, my F1 GT sees far more pavement than any of my other McLarens.
Haha, using the pavement as a curb comes naturally
I love driving the 12C
My personal favorite is the '97 F1 GT
Senna
Honestly, having 2 of each McLaren in the game, I can say the the 650s Coupe with correct upgrades is one of best handling alone with the 765l coupe, and the P1 is the absolute best looking, sounding, fastest, and most likely fastest accelerating. But in return all McLarens in the game are great.
I’m aware it’s early in the season however the car seems a level above every other entry this year. This is likely due to some poor performances from other teams however some thoughts:
The F2004 had 30 podiums of a possible 36 with only one retirement and a better driver lineup than McLarens current one.
The W11 had 25 podiums from a possible 34.
The RB19 had 30 podiums from a possible 44.
The MCL39 currently has 22 podiums from a possible 26, appreciate there’s a huge amount of races left and a boatload of extenuating circumstances on the above examples but I feel it’s worthy of discussion as of now considering the talent on the grid and the dominance so far, thoughts?
MP4/4 was amazimg but was probably flattered by having far amd away the two best drivers on the grid. No one was close to Senna and Prost in that timeframe. Mansell and Piquet are very overrated by their wins and championships.
That absolutely played a part, but that Honda Turbo engine was something truly special. Also the aero design and low fuselage profile of the MP4/4 was a radical departure from the humpback TAG (Porsche) McLarens before it.
The 1989 MP4/5 saw it revert back to a more conventional shape, with the high intake and the naturally aspirated Honda V10. Still a hugely successful design and still driven by the very best drivers ever (in my opinion) but to me that MP4/4 is just that tad bit extra special.
It led 97.3% of the laps that season.
It regular put over a minute on the next best car over a race.
Multiple times they lapped the entire field.
It was an utterly dominant car. Nothing could get close to it. Other cars have been able to lay a glove on this years mclaren.
2007 is this to some extent, too.
One of the best lineups of all time versus, well, Alonso's later number 2s.
The dominance of the Mercs in a couple of seasons in the hybrid era was still ahead I feel. But where they were in the first of half of 2023, and with no major changes in regulations, McLaren's turnaround is definitely one of the best ever.
I think it was 2014, first year of the new engine regulations, that was the most dominant car I've ever seen.
Especially as many people admit they turned the engines down after Bahrain (I think). To be that dominant and not even operate at 100%, that was something special.
Bahrain 2014 was insane, they were like 25 seconds in front of everyone else in the 10 laps after the safety car
Rb19 should have had 44/44 or at least 42 but Perez was driving it . MCL39 is like W09 to me . Dominant but not like 1 season of development ahead
the car was weird and Max is weirdly good at driving it. if you put Max in the MCL39 you can get 44/44 regardless of the second driver similar to how the Mercs used to be.
also the 2023 season part 2 had other teams closing in and the wins weren't straightforward like the mcl39 now
The RB19 would have had a lot less if it didn't have Verstappen driving it, there were many tracks where it wasn't the fastest car and many very hard fought races.
Ten years ago, Spa 2015, was the worst. Something like 2.5 seconds a lap off the pace.
The chassis wasn't perfect, but you don't get 2.5 seconds a lap from being down a little bit of downforce.
Mclaren 1988, end of regs cycle.
Utter domination.
If you cleanse your mental computational devices floating within the space of your skull of the lack of sponsorship, the X-rated nose, and the suboptimal at best and rubbish at worst performance of the 29th edition of the Mercedes Benz-powered Sir Ron Dennis CBE machine, this fully-chromatic livery is everything McLaren should strive to be.
Such a refined and wondrous design yes. Not perfect looks wise (needs some red detailing) and our chassis department really dropped the ball with such a great engine to play with.
Tim Goss was later found in the bottom of the MTC lake before he swam to Visa CashApp Racing Bulls.
Non-Ronspeak: McLaren would’ve finished ahead of Ferrari in the WCC if the drivers weren’t a past his prime Button and a rookie Kevin Magnussen.
Non-ronspeak: mclaren had the Mercedes engine, not building on the double podium in Melbourne speaks a lot about the poor chassis/aero of that car. Even though the drivers were not the best, it's pretty damming that mclaren finished behind Ferrari in a car with a bad engine, chassis and aero. I remember seeing footage of Fernando or kimi wrestling with the car, suffering understeer early in the corner then it snapped into violent overseer. It was part of the hubris mclaren had that meant the Honda partnership was a disaster for all parties.
Non-ronspeak: Jenson mentioned in his book that the 2014 car had a decently stable rear end but the front end was just not making enough downforce so it was understeering and they couldn't find a balance between the two. Jenson's dad had also recently died at the time so he was pretty out of it.
Non-Ronspeak: Correct, but you also have to consider that aside from the flawed aero and weaker driver lineup, Mercedes was also giving their customer teams weaker engines, a practice that wouldn’t stop until the FIA stepped in in 2017/2018 which forced all engine manufacturers to give equal spec engines to their customers. That, combined with the horrible aero and the awful engine packaging, led to this absolute dog of a car (good with handling, shit on pace).
And risk those unvetted drivers having non-optimal, messy haircuts?!? No, thank you!
Looks like it's built for combat.
I went to see the movie knowing that line would be used, and I braced myself. It still didn’t stop me from cringing when he actually said it.
You need to respect the redit rules and put a NSFW tag when posting pictures like that.
I fixed it for you:
The simplistic colour palette is aesthetically pleasing, but I must once again stress the post 1996 livery often described as the "West" livery is far superior in design and shows sponsors in a better focus.
Also the lack of sponsorship on the Successive McLaren racing cars until after 2020/2021 is rather concerning and hinted at the team being in an unhealthy state, highlighted by the lack of sufficient title sponsorship, hence the placeholder of the cars designation.
F1, all of the new ones are kind of bland
675LT
12C
Maybe people find this boring but P1.
best mclaren car
Key Considerations for the Best McLaren Car
Performance: McLaren cars are known for their incredible speed and handling. Look for models with high horsepower and lightweight construction.
Technology: McLaren incorporates advanced technology in their vehicles, including aerodynamics, suspension systems, and infotainment features. Consider models that showcase cutting-edge tech.
Driving Experience: Each model offers a unique driving experience. Some are more track-focused, while others are designed for everyday usability. Determine what type of driving experience you prefer.
Price Range: McLaren cars can vary significantly in price. Set a budget to narrow down your options.
Limited Editions: Some McLaren models are produced in limited quantities, which can enhance their value and exclusivity.
Top Recommendations:
McLaren P1: This hybrid hypercar is renowned for its performance, combining a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 with an electric motor for a total output of 903 horsepower. It’s a collector's item with only 375 units produced.
McLaren 720S: Known for its stunning design and incredible performance, the 720S features a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine producing 710 horsepower. It’s a great balance of everyday usability and track performance.
McLaren Artura: As McLaren's first series-production hybrid supercar, the Artura offers a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine paired with an electric motor, delivering 671 horsepower. It’s designed for efficiency and performance.
Recommendation: If you're looking for the ultimate McLaren experience, the P1 is hard to beat for its exclusivity and performance. However, for a blend of everyday usability and thrilling performance, the 720S is often considered the best all-around McLaren.
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