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One of only two McLaren F1s in LM-Specification headed for auction in Monterey

Of all the McLaren F1s out there (106 of them, including racecars and other variants), this 1994 F1 in LM-Specification is about as special as they get. Incredibly, it’s going up for auction in Monterey at the RM SothebyÂ’s auction house during Monterey Car Week. Why a McLaren F1 owner would ever want to sell their car is beyond us, but weÂ’re sure the millions of dollars on the other side of the gavel look pretty alright. This F1 happens to be one of two in existence in LM-Specification. In case you werenÂ’t familiar with the model, McLaren upgraded two standard F1 road cars to this particular specification at the factory after the production run had finished. That means the engine was upgraded to the unrestricted 680-horsepower GTR spec. An extra-high downforce kit was also added, consisting of a huge rear wing, revised nose and different front fender vents. Other differences between this and a normal F1 include race-spec dampers and springs adjusted to their softest settings, 17-inch wheels, a transmission cooler, two more radiators and a modified exhaust system. What it doesnÂ’t have is the barren interior from the hardcore LM. Instead, McLaren gave it an upgraded air conditioning system, radio, new headlights and a different steering wheel. That means you have the more aggressive performance with a slightly more comfortable living space, a combination we like. McLaren says it made all these changes over two rounds of modifications in 2000 and 2001. The car was also repainted from its original blue to the silver you see now in that timeframe.  This particular F1 has 13,352 miles on the odometer, and it has been given a full written history and evaluation by MSO. WeÂ’re sure itÂ’s going to nab many millions of dollars. To whoever ends up purchasing this fine McLaren, we envy you greatly.

McLaren applies to trademark 'Sabre' with USPTO

In October 2018, The Supercar Blog dished on how exotic car collector and Instagram user dan_am_i had arranged with McLaren's MSO division to procure a special supercar. The working name of the new coupe was "Bespoke Commission BC-03," and it was rumored to be a road-going take on McLaren's Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo concept from October 2017. The Woking automaker's Vision GT was a track-only single-seater with 1,134 horsepower and 940 pound-feet of torque erupting from a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 powering the rear wheels and two high-output electric motors powering the fronts. Last October, someone put renders of the BC-03 on Instagram (pictured), the car's lines spread over a design spectrum stretching from the Senna to the Vision GT. Grand Tour Nation recently came across a trademark application McLaren submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to reserve the name "McLaren Sabre." A saber, as our brand of English spells it, is defined in its noun form as "a heavy cavalry sword with a curved blade and a single cutting edge," in its verb form as to "cut down or wound with a saber." Based on a few bits of circumstantial evidence that we found at the McLaren Life forum, we believe the name will be applied to the production version of the BC-03.   Compare the BC-03 renders to this Instagram post of a camouflaged, fire-spewing McLaren caught testing after dark last September on what appears to be a track. It features the same shark fin and wing, same exhaust placement, same diffuser, very similar graphic over the engine bay. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In January of this year, Instagram user cococulture_ had business at the McLaren customer design studio. While there, they logged video of a scale version of the BC-03 under a cover. The caption is the gotcha:  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. After checking our notes, we feel confident affirming that "Sabre" starts with an "S." Of course, nothing is certain until McLaren puts the coupe on the display stand, but the evidence lines up so far for the BC-03 to become the Sabre. The original coverage from two years ago claimed there'd be five examples made, with three of them spoken for. New numbers from McLaren Life posters say there will be 15 units built, all for the U.S. market, all reserved for McLaren Automotive's best VIP customers.

McLaren envisions future of Formula One racing in 2050

We're seeing a lot of change in the car industry with the rise of electric vehicles, autonomous driving features and ever more connectivity, so much so that the car world will probably look pretty different 30 years from now. But what about in motorsports? Well, McLaren expects some pretty radical changes, too, and it put together an elaborate vision of what its bread and butter, Formula One, will look like in 2050. The race cars will still be open-wheel racers with elaborate active aerodynamics. The company describes flexible side pods that can retract for high speeds up to 310 mph, and can then expand for additional drag when braking and cornering. Downforce will come more from diffusers and undercarriage designs than external wings. The cars will be fully electric, and charging will come from induction coils placed in the ground with receiver coils in "self-repairing composite" wheels and tires. McLaren expects the cars to recharge 10 to 50 percent of battery capacity in 10 to 30 seconds. Traditional pit stops may give way to charging lanes or zones that provide different amounts of power depending on your speed, adding more strategy. With faster cars, McLaren suggests that track designs could be reimagined. They would include steeper banking in corners to keep speeds up, allow even tighter turns, and expand the tracks for the higher top speeds. Street circuits could even expand to encompass entire cities for more places to view the cars and more interesting courses. The driver will have some impressive technology at hand, too. To combat the high speeds and g-forces, especially on those hypothetical banked tracks, drivers will need fighter pilot-style suits with inflatable air bladders to keep from blacking out. An AI system will be on-board to help develop racing strategy, and make adjustments to the strategy and car to accommodate the driver's shifting emotions. This technology will have to be supported by drivers working on strength training, and crew mates that race the tracks virtually to develop strategies and racing lines that can be used in the race. It's a wild view of the future. And it's tempting to write some of this off as pure fantasy. But a lot can happen in 30 years. Just look at cars from now compared with those of 1989. We'll certainly be excited to see what does happen and how accurate McLaren's vision is. Related Video: