At Hampton Court Concours of Elegance 2018, a McLaren F1 that had undergone a full restoration to “as new” is being revealed as the first F1 Certified car. The car was the famous ’25R’ 1997 F1 GTR Longtail and it was restored by McLaren Special Operations (MSO). It was built as one of three Longtail cars for the Gulf-Davidoff team. It has a detailed racing history and was even the last F1 GTR to ever compete in a contemporary race series. During its restoration, MSO used only pre-June 1997 parts in order to retain originality.
“Even among F1 GTRs, this car, designated ‘25R’, is unique – and now it is as near to being new as we can make it,” commented Ansar Ali, Managing Director, McLaren Special Operations (MSO). “The car is the exemplar of everything that the new certification programme stands for and we are proud to have ‘25R’ as the very first McLaren F1 Certified car.”
2015 McLaren P1 Specs, Price, Photos & Review
The new F1 Certified program includes both road and track versions of the car and provides each car with a Certification of Authenticity. This certificate authenticates the car’s condition, history, service life, originality and more. McLaren also gives the owner of each car a bespoke book that documents the history of the car.
“McLaren cherishes its rich heritage of iconic and world-beating cars such as the F1,” said McLaren Automotive Chief Executive Officer Mike Flewitt. “’25R’ presented us with a unique opportunity to demonstrate this by restoring it to precisely how it was when it raced at Le Mans in 1997, thus ensuring its future. Maintaining the integrity of these historically significant cars is paramount and F1 Certified will play a big role in allowing us to do that for the peace of mind of owners today as well as preserving a wonderful heritage for future generations of car lovers.”
If you’re the owner of an F1, it would be a very smart idea to call McLaren and have it certified. It could definitely pay off in the long run.
