NEWS: Slot.it McLaren F1 GTR 'Yellow Corn'

Slot.it McLaren F1 GTR
CA10g, Motegi 2002, Naoki Hattori and Eiichi Tajima

Slot.it have just released photos of the Yellow Corn Motegi McLaren F1 GTR which will be on sale from 2 October.  This livery seems to polarise slot cars fans, you either love it or you hate it.  For me it's simple, I LOVE it.  I was always a huge fan of Fly's BMW M3 in the Yellow Corn livery although I never managed to acquire one for myself.  

It's important to note that this isn't just a new livery however, the new Slot.it McLaren has some nice performance improvements such as a lighter cockpit and an improved pick-up position for improved handling.  With the exception of the FINA liveried McLaren I think this is the most impressive release to date.


From Wikipedia: 'With the BPR Global GT Series reformed into the FIA GT Championship in 1997, rules regarding the cars used in the premier GT1 class were altered. Homologation specials like the Porsche 911 GT1 had already proven their worth in the final races of 1996, while newcomer Mercedes-Benz was showing the potential of their new CLK-GTR in testing. McLaren was therefore forced to give the F1 extensive modification in order to be able to compete against cars which had been meant as race cars first, and not road cars like the F1.

First and foremost, the F1 required extensive modification to its bodywork in order to gain as much aerodynamic downforce as possible. Although it retained the same carbon fibre monocoque as the road car, the entire exterior of the car was purpose built. A much longer nose and tail, as well as a wider rear wing, were designed in order to maximize the amount of aerodynamic downforce, while the wheel arches were widened in order to allow for the maximum amount of grip from the tires allowed by the rules. Ground clearance was also changed to 70 millimetres (2.76 in) front and rear, rather than the 60 millimetres (2.36 in) front and 80 millimetres (3.15 in) rear clearance of the 1996-spec car.

The engine also saw extensive modification, with a stroke reduction bringing the BMW S70 V12 down to 5,990 cubic centimetres (366 cu in) in an attempt to prolong the life of the engines, while still maintaining the air restrictor-controlled 600 brake horsepower (447 kW). The stock gearbox was replaced with a new X-trac 6-speed sequential transmission. A total of ten more GTRs were built, with none of the previous cars being upgraded to the 1997-spec. In order to be allowed to construct cars that were so radically different from the F1 road car, McLaren was forced to build production cars using the GTR '97's bodywork.

These cars became known as the F1 GT, of which only three were built. The 1997-spec cars are commonly referred to as the "Long Tail" version due to their stretched bodywork, most noticeably in the rear. At Le Mans 1997, the car reached 317 kilometres per hour (196.97 mph) on the Mulsanne straight. This was still slightly slower than some of the field (Porsche 911 GT1 Evo - 326 kilometres per hour (202.57 mph), Nissan R390 GT1 - 319 kilometres per hour (198.22 mph), TWR Porsche Joest LMP - 320 kilometres per hour (198.84 mph).'

 
From the Slot.it team: 'The McLaren F1 GTR production, directed by former Formula 1 engineer Gordon Murray, began in 1992 and ended in 1998. At that time, it was the fastest car ever built. In 1995, the F1 GTR gave its first performance at Le Mans and won, bringing to the finish line five cars that ended 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th.

The car featured a monocoque carbon – fibre chassis and a BMW 5990 cc V12 engine. Team Hitotsuyama Racing entered an F1 GTR in the All Japan GT Championship 'GT500' class. The McLaren was one of the few competitive European cars in this category, usually dominated by the Japanese makes. In 2002, drivers Naoki Hattori and Eiichi Tajima finished third at Motegi on the McLaren number 76.'

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