McLaren has transformed five Sennas into retro Le Mans racers, in the style of the F1s that made history at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1995. It is not just an external upgrade.
The fact that it is 25 years ago this year that McLaren dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans with F1, does not let the British brand pass by unnoticed. In June it already served a special limited 720S with a big nod to that performance, but with the Senna they go a big step further. The king of the McLaren stable receives head-to-toe treatment that instantly brings back memories of the 1995 F1 GTR.
The winning F1 at Le Mans 1995.
The Senna GTR LM christened party numbers are in the different color schemes that were seen on the participating F1s in 1995. There is the winning black ‘Uneo Clinic’, the yellow ‘Harrods’, the blue and white ‘Gulf’, the blue ‘Jacadi’ and the gray and black ‘Cesar’. The first four finished in the top 5 in ’95, the Cesar car finished in 13th place. The color schemes have been recreated (by hand) down to the level of detail, including the sponsors and the flags representing the nationality of the then directors. It should come as no surprise, but only one is made of each copy. All ordered by one or more customers with undoubtedly a wallet that you say against.
Anyone who thinks that it is only a nice coat of paint on an otherwise ‘standard’ Senna GTR is wrong. The LM versions have also been tackled under the hood and that leads to a power spurt of 20 hp. The biturbo 4.0-liter V8 now produces 845 hp and 800 Nm. The LMP style handlebar is also very special and specially developed for these versions. Gold is used in the paddle shifters, undoubtedly a nod to the gold that was present in the F1’s engine. The whole thing sits on wheels that are clearly also inspired by those of the F1s.
What the special creations have to cost, is dignified. In any case, the lucky owners will have the chance to switch the circuit to the Sennas on the weekend of the 24 Hours of Le Mans this month. For example, the successes of ’95 are a bit more.