VIN: Up & Running - the original McLaren F1 Prototype chassis XP1
History of chassis XP1
After the Ultima Mk3-based ‘Albert’ and ‘Edward’ development hacks and the F1 Clinic Model unveiled at the 1992 Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren constructed five functional F1 prototypes numbered XP1 to XP5.
The first of these, chassis XP1, took around 6000 hours to build.
F1 designer, Gordon Murray, had promised McLaren boss, Ron Dennis, that he would have XP1 running by Christmas of 1992.
Following a frantic last few days, XP1 was started for the first time on Wednesday December 23rd.
Lowered onto the floor of McLaren’s Genesis workshop, the black F1 was driven 300 yards to the McLaren International base on the opposite side of the Woking industrial estate. Here it was weighed in at 1003kg.
After Christmas, XP1 began racking up test miles.
In March 1993, it was sent for hot-weather trials in Namibia. Unfortunately, on March 24th, a BMW engineer lost control when he clipped a rain gutter at around 150mph.
A spectacular crash saw the car barrel-roll several times and end up on its roof. Thankfully, the monocoque survived intact and the driver scrambled out unscathed through the broken windscreen. However, fluid from the engine began to leak and was ignited by the hot exhaust manifold.
XP1 burned to the ground.
Ron Dennis reputedly had the parts gathered up and sent back to England where they were buried in a box.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: McLaren - https://www.mclaren.com
