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McLaren Special Operations P1 GTR celebrates Ayrton Senna

With a red-and-white livery, more power, and a raft of special aerodynamic touches.


McLaren Special Operations (MSO) has released its 'ultimate' take on the P1 GTR, inspired by Ayrton Senna's legendary MP4/4 racer.

The project celebrates the 30th anniversary of Senna's first Formula 1 World Championship, commissioned by a McLaren collector who grew up idolising the Brazilian. He worked in tandem with MSO for three years on the car.

Most obvious among the nods to Senna is the Rocket Red and Anniversary White exterior finish echoing the legendary Marlboro branding of Senna's car. It's offset with the Senna script and 'Driven to Perfection' slogan on the doors and air intakes.

There are Brazilian flags on the doors, and a bar code in lieu of the Marlboro logo now rendered unusable by advertising restrictions. According to McLaren, more than 800 hours were spent painting the exterior, which is capped off with a '12' on the nose.

The changes extend to the powertrain, too. Details are hard to come by, but MSO engineers have managed to extract a 'suitably pleasing' power bump from the hybrid/V8 setup. There's also a 24 carat gold heat shield under the bonnet, a Lexan rear cover and unique engine bay shrouds.

Making sure the extra power doesn't turn the P1 GTR into a low-flying aircraft, helping deliver a whopping 800kg of downforce at speed. There are new dive planes, a wider front splitter, a fresh gurney flap at the rear and side barge boards.

As you may have noticed, the endplates on the rear wing are bigger than stock as a nod to the rear wing on the MP4/4.

“With a near-limitless range of bespoke additions available from McLaren Special Operations our clients are only restricted by their imagination and we can, of course, help with this too," said Ansar Ali, managing director of MSO.

"It is, however, also great to have the opportunity to pay tribute to our brand’s wonderful history, especially with this year marking the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s first Formula 1 World Championship title with McLaren," he continued.

"This project has been a labour of love for MSO; with extensive engine and aerodynamic enhancements in addition to the distinctive cosmetic treatment this car has received, this is certainly a landmark achievement.”

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