McLaren graveyard

[Nordic]

http://mclaren.com/page/the-secret-world-of-unit-2--gallery

Where old McLarens see out their retirement in a peaceful state.

There was a Vid of Hamilton and button wandering round it as well released a while ago. Maybe someone is trying to beat out a few possible buyers for these old cars!

[nopanic - neil]

nice pics

they don't treat it like their main white, clinically clean headoffice/factory

Still, wish I had a space like that

[Rhino]

Mclaren should be opening their museum soon so they could be using a few of those there.
All the Mp4 Mclarens made are still effectively still owned by them. You can buy them but if you sell it on you have to sell it back to them.

[Boorish Grobian]

Some very historic racing cars sitting under plastic sheets.  I understand that back in the ninties Ron Dennis spent a fair amount of effort re-acquiring McLarens that had been sold off.  Many of the M19's, M23's & 26's had been sold to privateers long ago, and many are now back in the hands of McLaren.  The thing that has always puzzled me about owning a relatively contemporary F1 car is, what the hell do you with it, other than put it on display?  Unless you have the capacity to work out the electronics of a recent F1 car, they're expensive to operate.  Turbo cars from the eighties that are in collectors hands, that actually run are mythically rare, the 1.5 litre turbo engines are so fragile, and expensive to repair, that few people dare to attempt to start one up.  The 3 litre cars of the seventies are a different matter, there's plenty of DFV's laying around, and they had none of the high tech electronics of the later cars.
Fax

[Brad Zarse]

Is it wrong that I was casing the joint whilst looking at these photos?  There's a good few hundred million quid in that room, in historical value alone!!

[Kev_mk3]

Is it wrong that I was casing the joint whilst looking at these photos?  There's a good few hundred million quid in that room, in historical value alone!!

i was thinking the same lol

[amazing 1]

ditto

[Kev_mk3]

here is the video btw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tQCXE7DDuc

[nickliv]

Wonder if Ron fancies running a historic one make racing series.....

[nopanic - neil]

Wonder if Ron fancies running a historic one make racing series.....

I wonder if all that stuff is Ron's pension fund 

[Lord Steve]

Am I the only one that couldn't give a wet slap?

[mgmark]

I rather liked the steering wheel and mechanical gear change.  two steeering wheel buttons, one for the radio and one for the boost.  simple.  sweet......just a shame that they are sat under plastic sheets.....

MG Mark   

[Snoring Rhino]

Am I the only one that couldn't give a wet slap?

Maybe.....but part of our motor racing heritage, they and all of the other British based F1 teams put a huge amount of work into local industry, yes individually the value of the cars and parts may be inflated if sold, but what's new if you can afford it, most of their components and build were by UK based companies.  As it expanded out, many of the Mclaren lads moved with Harvey Postlewaite and John Barnard to design and build Ferrari's down the road in Guilford as late as 2000 / 2001's. I remember being surrounded by the Ferrari Aerodynamic team when I was booking into BAe Bristol Reception when they were heading to the wind tunnel.
All  these cars result of many bucks into our economy (wish we had a bit more now)for world class technology in their era.

[Lord Steve]

Am I the only one that couldn't give a wet slap?

Maybe.....but part of our motor racing heritage, they and all of the other British based F1 teams put a huge amount of work into local industry, yes individually the value of the cars and parts may be inflated if sold, but what's new if you can afford it, most of their components and build were by UK based companies.  As it expanded out, many of the Mclaren lads moved with Harvey Postlewaite and John Barnard to design and build Ferrari's down the road in Guilford as late as 2000 / 2001's. I remember being surrounded by the Ferrari Aerodynamic team when I was booking into BAe Bristol Reception when they were heading to the wind tunnel.
All  these cars result of many bucks into our economy (wish we had a bit more now)for world class technology in their era.

I know and I understand your points, it's just that I got so hacked off with the F1 / Ecclestone circus and, as a result, have a very dim and distorted view of all things F1. To me modern day Formula 1 is just a computer game. Discuss....

[Snoring Rhino]

Yes, totally agree Steve, but many of these cars go back pre total electronic control - maybe <92 and are the accesable historics of the future. One of the great metrits of Historic racing is that it brings back great machinery without the politics.