Well,
I've fallen in love with the McLaren. It is the greatest street car
I've ever driven. The McLaren is deceivingly fast, and it isn't until
you approach a corner at 140 mph that you think, 'Gee whiz, maybe I'm
going a bit quicker than perhaps I should be.' It drives just like a car
on slick tires, without the jerkiness to it. The car is very well
balanced, and the gear lever very positive. The brakes are very hard,
and you have to use a lot of pedal effort. The McLaren's linear
powerband is amazing. It's a serious car with a power-to-weight ratio
close to that of my IMSA race car. — Steve Millen
From the
photos, the McLaren F1 appears bigger than its actual size, and the
car's small stature is surprising. Open the swing-up doors and it looks
like a Navy fighter jet with its wings folded up. The seating positions
are unique, with the driver in the center flanked by two additional
seats. It's easiest to climb, or rather contort one's body, into the
driver's seat from the left side where the shift lever doesn't get in
the way. And once in, the sweeping view forward is amazing.
Turn the ignition key, hit the starter button, and the starter takes a
few turns before the V-12 gulps in enough air to fire. Initially the
engine clears its throat with a coarse note, but it smooths out quickly
and settles into an unassuming idle. Depress the clutch and slide the
short-throw gear shift into 1st. Give the throttle a hard tap and the
powerplant immediately stands at attention. Ease out the clutch and the
McLaren lunges forward.
Residing midship is an awesome BMW
6.1-liter V-12 M-powerplant, churning out a whopping 627 bhp at 7400 rpm
and 479 lb.-ft. of torque at 4000 rpm. Mated to a 6-speed manual
transmission, the F1 can catapult off the line to 60 mph in only 3.4
sec., and reach the quarter mile in 11.6 sec. with the speedometer
needle pointing at 125.0 mph (also see our December 1997 road test).
Find a long straightaway on the track, grab the steering wheel and
stomp on the throttle. Hold on! What follows is an immense acceleration
rate that firmly presses my body into the seat. Sitting dead center in
the car with the road rapidly sliding beneath me, I feel like I am glued
at the tip of a streaking missile. Pay attention, though; the
tachometer surges upward and lights up the red shift indicator at 7500
rpm before I can blink my eyes. Quick shifts to 2nd gear, to 3rd and to
4th. And wow! Suddenly I realize the F1's velvety powerband is seemingly
endless. I can't help smiling. At speed, even though I can't see the
fast-approaching corner, my eyes still squint hard trying to make it
out, just to be safe. Before the thumping of the powerplant behind me
tries to bump up my heart rate to match its pace, I look down and see
myself traveling at more than 140 mph. Scary.
As swiftly as
the F1 can pick up speed, the cross-drilled and vented disc brakes can
haul the car down. The brake pedal controls the calipers with absolute
precision. And even without ABS, the tires claw the asphalt with
tremendous traction.
At corner entry, the McLaren's short nose
turns toward the apex as soon as I demand it. Then the car behaves with
moderate to mild understeer through the corner, and there is very
little roll, helped in part by having the driver's seat near the center
of gravity. Since the engine responds to throttle almost
instantaneously, careful modulation of power on corner exit is easy.
After that, it is just another hammer-down exhilarating ride to well
past the century mark on the speedometer.
In the McLaren with
Millen, the car feels surprisingly comfortable. The ride is supple. And
through quick switchback turns, the F1's suspension soaks up most of the
bumps and handles the corners with a nice progressive lean from one
side to the other. There is nothing sudden to upset the car or its
passengers. Millen comments: "The McLaren is mighty impressive. It's
surprising that you can call this a road car because it's really a race
car. I never thought I would drive a street vehicle so technically
sophisticated. I love the smooth and broad powerband. This is the
ultimate road car."
My heart rate after the ride: 125 bpm.
