Mr. Bean writes about the McLaren F1 and Carrera GT

[NFS4]

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1376327

 

[slick230]

Not surprising. Rowan Atkinson is actually a VERY knowledgable car enthusiast and likes to do some racing in his off time. He just plays wormy guys on TV and the movies.

 

[Apex]

The McLaren's clutch has to be replaced every 3k miles? Ouch! I didn't know that.

 

[StageLeft]

Cool I needs to read this

The McLaren's clutch has to be replaced every 3k miles? Ouch! I didn't know that

Damn, but these cars aren't really meant to be used for long periods without maintenance I remember reading about the ex ferrari race cars you can buy and they run for something stupid like a couple hundred miles then need a full overhaul

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Cool I needs to read this

The McLaren's clutch has to be replaced every 3k miles? Ouch! I didn't know that

Damn, but these cars aren't really meant to be used for long periods without maintenance I remember reading about the ex ferrari race cars you can buy and they run for something stupid like a couple hundred miles then need a full overhaul

I downloaded all thirteen pages/images, then printed them out on my laser printer. Bedtime reading tonight

 

[geno]

I was going to write a paper that's due tomorrow, but I ended up reading this instead...great read and helps put the GT's position in the market into perspective.

 

[Gagabiji]

Mr. Bean is awesome, I remembe getting some pretty good cracks out of it...

 

[GTaudiophile]

More proof, that even 10 years later, the BMW-powered McLaren F1 is still king!

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
More proof, that even 10 years later, the BMW-powered McLaren F1 is still king!

except 10 years later, BMW's now look like ass, while the F1 Certainly does nopt.

 

[JYDog]

Interesting read but the whole article is rediculous without some facts like course times or sector times...

Also, its pretty clear cut the MF1 would be faster than the Carrera GT, its more powerful and slightly lighter, its kinda cheating the Porsche by making the whole contest down to which is faster.

Still, I'm not so convinced yet the MF1 is superior to the Carrera GT.

 

[KokomoGST]

Well, considering back when the F1 was originally intro'ed it stickered for much more than the GT does currently... even in comparison to the other supercars out there, it seems like very little differentiates all of the top cars in actuality.

But with to care and attention paid to custom cars by today's aftermarket, there are shops now that can built trueblue supercar slayers even with F1s and GTs floating around. If you want to play a numbers game... you really wouldn't be looking at the F1 and GT really.

Personally, I LOVE the screaming soprano tone of the Porsche V10... Bean may think it's dull... but I think it's intoxicating! No doubt I'd still have one in my garage if I had that kind of $$. It's the "glow" of owning a very special supercar I guess... though I think the Koenigsegg CCR is just that much more brutal than an F1 and more a true offspring of the F1 concept.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

that was a very, very well written article.

for a multitude of reasons, main one being it was written without using any performance numbers. It was all about how it stimulated your senses. which is what these cars are all about, giving you excitement and thrill. I loved how Bean talked in detail about the engine sounds, the clutch take up, the shifting, and the way it drove around town. Also about how hard it was to get in and out. Those things are never talked about in other reviews, but Mr. Bean "kept it real" by talking about what its like to live with these cars.

other thing was that the article was fairly funny..I liked how he thru in Venn diagrams and talked about calmness and feminitiy and such.

Very entertaining.

 

[saxophonoia]

Originally posted by: KokomoGST
Well, considering back when the F1 was originally intro'ed it stickered for much more than the GT does currently... even in comparison to the other supercars out there, it seems like very little differentiates all of the top cars in actuality.

But with to care and attention paid to custom cars by today's aftermarket, there are shops now that can built trueblue supercar slayers even with F1s and GTs floating around. If you want to play a numbers game... you really wouldn't be looking at the F1 and GT really.

Personally, I LOVE the screaming soprano tone of the Porsche V10... Bean may think it's dull... but I think it's intoxicating! No doubt I'd still have one in my garage if I had that kind of $$. It's the "glow" of owning a very special supercar I guess... though I think the Koenigsegg CCR is just that much more brutal than an F1 and more a true offspring of the F1 concept.

I too am a big Koenigsegg fan. It's my background right now.

 

[JYDog]

If I had a million to put down on a F1, a few things would give me reservations about it in terms of performance. Its notorious(atleast in some press I've seen) for understeering wildly. Also, for such a car, its got stability issues in the coners(relative to others cars of its class). The MF1 have seen alot of accidental crashes(on course track) due to these problems. No doubt the F1 is a legend, but its got areas it needs working on(the EVO read points to this also). The Carrera GT just has fewer ssues. Its probably much more accurate and stable handler by nature of its layout(wider track base vs. a narrowish track on F1) and its amenities(ABS, traction-stability controls).

 

[Buttzilla]

Originally posted by: JYDog
If I had a million to put down on a F1, a few things would give me reservations about it in terms of performance. Its notorious(atleast in some press I've seen) for understeering wildly. Also, for such a car, its got stability issues in the coners(relative to others cars of its class). The MF1 have seen alot of accidental crashes(on course track) due to these problems. No doubt the F1 is a legend, but its got areas it needs working on(the EVO read points to this also). The Carrera GT just has fewer ssues. Its probably much more accurate and stable handler by nature of its layout(wider track base vs. a narrowish track on F1) and its amenities(ABS, traction-stability controls).

i dont know if you read the article or not but Mr. Bean wrote it clearly. the GT is made to make money. it performs better on the road and the F1, better on the track.

 

[JYDog]

Originally posted by: Buttzilla

Originally posted by: JYDog
If I had a million to put down on a F1, a few things would give me reservations about it in terms of performance. Its notorious(atleast in some press I've seen) for understeering wildly. Also, for such a car, its got stability issues in the coners(relative to others cars of its class). The MF1 have seen alot of accidental crashes(on course track) due to these problems. No doubt the F1 is a legend, but its got areas it needs working on(the EVO read points to this also). The Carrera GT just has fewer ssues. Its probably much more accurate and stable handler by nature of its layout(wider track base vs. a narrowish track on F1) and its amenities(ABS, traction-stability controls).

i dont know if you read the article or not but Mr. Bean wrote it clearly. the GT is made to make money. it performs better on the road and the F1, better on the track.

GT is made to make money but so was the F1. The reason the F1 is good on the tracks is because of its stunning power on the straights. The corners is its archilles heels. Weren't it not for all that grunt on the straights it wouldn't fare very well against cars like the CGT and F50 which are better handlers. The only year the F1 did well in GT racing was in 94 and 95. These were before the 911 GTI and later MB GT1 came along and dominated soundly. Even in 94/95 the F40 was faster than F1 and only lost to it because of reliability. No, I'm not saying the F1 suck, only saying its not the best at everything.

The CGT at some 350 units(iirc) and MF1 at roughly 100 units can't make money, just bring it in the black. McLaren had more at stake(and more reasons to rake prices even higher...), atleast for Porsche, CGT serves as a "halo" car for some usefulness.

 

[Nebor]

atleast for Porsche, CGT serves as a "halo" car for some usefulness.

The halo car of the halo cars.... heh.