Flemke - Is this your McLaren? (Vol 5)

[flemke]

Church of Noise said:

waremark said:

Flemke's

https://youtu.be/s5DxRZOB_2o

The engine sounds great through that exhaust!

However, it seems that the car is quite sensitive to camber changes on the road?
(edited to add:I assume this is a part of the compromise that was chosen regarding the suspension setup)

Not all that sensitive to camber changes, no. Less so than a GT3, for example.

[h0b0]

Is it a trick of the film or are you running a lot of negative camber on the front?

[John D.]

waremark said:

Flemke's

https://youtu.be/s5DxRZOB_2o

Schmee's best video yet (he wasn't in it!).

Thanks for posting. I enjoyed that. The F1 looks tiny on the road.

[flemke]

h0b0 said:

Is it a trick of the film or are you running a lot of negative camber on the front?

Not all that much. IIRC, it's about -2.25˚. I think -2.0˚ is standard.

[hurstg01]

With regards to the F1 currently for sale through McLaren, having spent a little time in and around this example and have therefore seen it up close, it's well kept and has accumulated a good deal of both history and accessories over the years...

This F1 was originally owned by James Munroe, who raced the orange longtail GTR #27R in the British GT in the late 1990's (before spending some time inside at her Majesty's pleasure). It was then shipped to the US in early 2000 and whilst over there it spent sometime in US Customs....

Chassis 069 was then meant to be sold at auction in Monaco in May 2005 but never actually made it there.

It's the only F1 to have had the HDF kit added and then removed at a later date. It wore the 'DAR7H' number plate to reflect the colour of the car and it's wheels but wore a different plate - R533OGF - when it had its HDF kit added and does so again now, with the then-owners personal plate on it inbetween times. It's current owner has an interesting stable of cars, of which this F1 may not be the most expensive..

It would be interesting to know the price; my guess being in the £9m+ mark,.

[chriskay]

A small detail, but I would have thought it would have been possible for McLaren to get the wiper to park in a less obtrusive position.

[h0b0]

flemke said:

h0b0 said:

Is it a trick of the film or are you running a lot of negative camber on the front?

Not all that much. IIRC, it's about -2.25?. I think -2.0? is standard.

Granted it is probably the angle of the steering wheel that is giving the impression of negative camber but it caught my attention

Edited by h0b0 on Tuesday 3rd May 20:35

[Church of Noise]

flemke said:

Not all that sensitive to camber changes, no. Less so than a GT3, for example.

I see, that's quite good then! (it never annoyed me when I drove & GT3 anyway)

[flemke]

chriskay said:

A small detail, but I would have thought it would have been possible for McLaren to get the wiper to park in a less obtrusive position.

Not sure to which photo you are referring, Chris, but with the driver sitting in the centre normally the wiper assembly is not in one's line of sight.

[flemke]

h0b0 said:

Granted it is probably the angle of the steering wheel that is giving the impression of negative camber but it caught my attention

That does look like a lot of camber, but in practice I believe that it is less extreme that it appears. The next time I am with the car I shall try to remember to have a close look.

Odd that in the lower photo one of the two door mirrors is folded in. If that was taken from the Shmee video, I was not there that day and so do not know why it would have been left that way.

[flemke]

Church of Noise said:

flemke said:

Not all that sensitive to camber changes, no. Less so than a GT3, for example.

I see, that's quite good then! (it never annoyed me when I drove & GT3 anyway)

Steering predictability, returnability, feedback and feel is one of the car's strengths.

[greygoose]

flemke said:

Church of Noise said:

flemke said:

Not all that sensitive to camber changes, no. Less so than a GT3, for example.

I see, that's quite good then! (it never annoyed me when I drove & GT3 anyway)

Steering predictability, returnability, feedback and feel is one of the car's strengths.

Is the P1 GTR similar in characteristics?

[chriskay]

flemke said:

Not sure to which photo you are referring, Chris, but with the driver sitting in the centre normally the wiper assembly is not in one's line of sight.

It was in the video which Waremark posted, at about 40-50 sec. in. Of course, I appreciate that the view from the driver's position differs from the camera position, it's just that, these days, one is used to seeing the wipers parked pretty much at the bottom of the windscreen.

[h0b0]

flemke said:

h0b0 said:

Granted it is probably the angle of the steering wheel that is giving the impression of negative camber but it caught my attention

That does look like a lot of camber, but in practice I believe that it is less extreme that it appears. The next time I am with the car I shall try to remember to have a close look.

Odd that in the lower photo one of the two door mirrors is folded in. If that was taken from the Shmee video, I was not there that day and so do not know why it would have been left that way.

Throw me the keys, I have a window in my schedule this afternoon to take a look for you.........

The pictures are from Shmees video. Looking at the capture it does not appear that the mirrors extend beyond the body of the car so hopefully it did not meet with the garage wall on the way out.

[FeelingLucky]

flemke said:

That does look like a lot of camber, but in practice I believe that it is less extreme that it appears. The next time I am with the car I shall try to remember to have a close look.

Odd that in the lower photo one of the two door mirrors is folded in. If that was taken from the Shmee video, I was not there that day and so do not know why it would have been left that way.

I can't remember where I read it, but I'd swear Ron Dennis once said in an interview, that his was the only car to have the high mounted mirrors just like Gordon Murray intended.

[flemke]

FeelingLucky said:

flemke said:

That does look like a lot of camber, but in practice I believe that it is less extreme that it appears. The next time I am with the car I shall try to remember to have a close look.

Odd that in the lower photo one of the two door mirrors is folded in. If that was taken from the Shmee video, I was not there that day and so do not know why it would have been left that way.

I can't remember where I read it, but I'd swear Ron Dennis once said in an interview, that his was the only car to have the high mounted mirrors just like Gordon Murray intended.

If he said that, it is total BS. My chassis is #040, his is #050, and my mirrors were fitted during production, not afterwards. I know the chap at McLaren who found the mirrors (he was shopping for a Z1 as his personal car at the time) and he told me the whole history.
I have been told that, in fact, when Ron saw my car in production, he spotted the high mirrors and said that he wanted them on his car too.
There are three other F1s that also have the mirrors. Two of them are late chassis, and the third got them as a retro-fit.

[flemke]

greygoose said:

Is the P1 GTR similar in characteristics?

I have not driven a P1 GTR. I believe however that it has the same steering as the normal P1.

The F1's steering is definitely nicer. The P1's steering is precise (partly as a consequence of the stiff front tyres), but it has a bit of built-in stiction on return, which I hate.

[McAndy]

Chebble said:

Great spot and photo - my only sighting of an F1 happened to be XP5, although it was at the then dealership on Park Lane. I was fortunate to see it even then - the car was only there for a couple of months before the dealership closed for good - it's now a Harrods real estate broker I think.

I was 14 at the time, so that puts it at about 2003. Never seen one moving though!

Eta: it was XP5, not XP4.

Edited by Chebble on Friday 29th April 21:07

That brings back memories! I think I still have photographs through the window, but goodness knows where.

[mclwanB]

I have to admit that the P1 LM (converted road going P1 GTR) does look epic.

http://www.topgear.com/car-news/goodwood-fos-2016/...

Agree a standard P1 or, particularly an F1, would be my choice.

[Sway]

A few F1s there in various variants.

Picked up the minichamps Oeno Clinic 1:18 model. Made me exceptionally happy.

Flemke, a quick question - have you had the car corner weighted, and if so how does the weight distribution pan out when fluid and human filled?

Hope life is treating you well, and that you're finding time to play with petrol powered toys.