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Lewis Hamilton needs to step up in his 200th F1 race

LONDON — Lewis Hamilton will start the 200th grand prix of his Formula One career in Belgium this weekend, but the triple world champion has smaller but more significant numbers on his mind. Refreshed from an August break in the Caribbean, including a trip to Cuba in his role as UNICEF ambassador, the Mercedes driver is 14 points behind championship leader Sebastian Vettel as he revs up for the second half of the season. A fifth victory of 2017 for the Briton would put the pressure back on Ferrari's Vettel, and Hamilton can celebrate another milestone by bagging pole position on Saturday at the long and fast Spa-Francorchamps circuit. That would see Hamilton, who sportingly relinquished third place to team mate Valtteri Bottas in Hungary before the summer shutdown, match the record of 68 poles set by Michael Schumacher with Ferrari in 2006. Mercedes has won the last two Belgian Grands Prix, with now-retired 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg triumphant from pole last year after Hamilton won in 2015. Nobody will be taking anything for granted, however, after Ferrari's one-two win in Budapest at the end of July. "On paper, people will assume that Spa should suit our car because it is a circuit where aerodynamic efficiency is extremely important," Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said. "But assumptions are dangerous — we have seen too many times already this season that the form book can be rewritten from one weekend to the next. So we will be making no assumptions." Hamilton has won twice before at Spa, as has Vettel, but the track — a classic blast from the past — has not been particularly kind to him. In 2008, when he won his first title, the Briton was demoted from first to third after the race for cutting a chicane, with then Ferrari rival Felipe Massa savoring victory instead. Spa can often be a lottery, with its capricious weather, and rain could be a boon for Red Bull's Belgian-born Dutch teenager Max Verstappen, who can count on plenty of local support in what amounts to a home race. "I just love the track and it'll be nice seeing so many orange (Dutch) fans in the grandstands," he said. "Spa is my favorite track of the year. You have to get everything right but when you get a good lap it's very rewarding." Belgium could also be good for Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who arrives with a new contract for 2018 in his pocket.

Witness the only Fux Fuchsia McLaren 720S in existence

Need proof that McLaren is willing to build literally anything a customer could possibly want, regardless of how outlandish it may seem? Witness this 720S, which was just delivered to noted McLaren enthusiast Michael Fux on the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Concept Lawn. As you can see, it's pink. Or purple. Somewhere in between, really. Actually, it's Fux Fuchsia, a color originally created by Rolls-Royce for Mr. Fux and held back as an exclusive shade by McLaren Special Operations for future vehicles. And, considering the car collector already owns three McLaren models, we're thinking this won't be the last of Fux Fuchsia you'll see on one of these British supercars. Besides the retina-searing shade of exterior paint, the inside door appliques, a pinstripe on the steering wheel, and the rear-view mirror are all finished in Fux Fuchsia. The rest of the interior is done up in white leather with white stitching. The floormats are also white, but finished in Alcantara. Want a custom McLaren of your own? Jolyon Nash, McLaren Automotive Executive Director, Global Sales and Marketing, commented, "MSO provides McLaren owners with virtually limitless possibilities to tailor a car exactly to their needs and tastes. ... Beyond this there are opportunities all the way up to complete vehicles designed to individual specification." All you need, we imagine, is a suitably large bank account. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

McLaren F1 sells for $15.62 million at Bonhams auction

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. – The first McLaren F1 imported to the United States sold for an eye-popping $15.62 million Friday at the Bonhams auction here. Offered by its original owner, the legendary supercar is in impeccable condition and has all of its service records, including one from just last month. The F1 gaveled for $14.2 million and the price included a 10-percent buyer's fee. The sale was held at the Quail Lodge as part of vintage car week in the run-up to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The car, designated a 1995 model, has a 627-bhp DOHC V12 teamed with a six-speed manual transmission, four-wheel independent suspension and four-wheel drilled and vented disc brakes, according to the Bonhams listing. This car is the 37th F1 produced and still wears its original silver exterior and black/grey leather interior. The unnamed owner bought it new from the factory in Woking, England, in 1996. This F1 has 9,600 miles on its odometer – half of them from a European roadtrip its owner took after buying the car. This F1 was converted to be road legal in the US shortly after purchase, but has been returned to its original form for the auction. All of the conversion pieces, however, were saved. Only seven of the 64 F1s produced were federalized for US roads. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 1995 McLaren F1 at Bonhams Quail Auction View 19 Photos Related Gallery First US-Spec McLaren F1 View 34 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2017 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com McLaren Auctions Special and Limited Editions Performance Supercars Pebble Beach bonhams

McLaren said to be developing an all-electric hypercar

British supercar maker McLaren plans to produce an all-electric version of its Ultimate Series hypercars, the automotive website Autocar reports. The new, unnamed vehicle is reportedly not the same as the previously rumored P15, a lightweight Ultimate Series car we learned more about just last month. The EV is set to arrive sometime after the release of both the P15, which comes later this year, and the release of the BP23 hybrid in 2019. The latter is a replacement for the three-seater F1. Autocar reports that the automaker plans to produce five models of the EV initially and let favored McLaren owners drive them as part of the development process. It also plans to introduce hybrid replacements for its 570 Sport Series and 720 Super Series in 2020 and 2021, respectively. McLaren has said it expects half of its fleet to feature hybrid powertrains by 2022. Related Video:

McLaren F1 25 years later: Designer Gordon Murray reflects on his classic creation

It's been a quarter century since the introduction of the McLaren F1. In honor of this anniversary, McLaren caught up with Gordon Murray, the car's designer, to talk about it and the development process. In the above video, Murray reveals a number of fascinating facts about the freakishly fast F1. For instance, the center seat placement wasn't solely to evoke the feeling of being in an F1 car. It was also done to avoid having the pedals offset strangely as with other supercars of the era. Some of the most interesting facts concern the F1's top speed. Murray says that when the car was being developed, he never set any sort of performance or speed target, which seems odd for a car that immediately became the fastest street-legal car on Earth. Rather, Murray said, "I just tried to do the best car I could from an engineering point of view." The fact that the F1 was so fast was just a pleasant result. When the topic of the McLaren F1's top speed comes up in the video, there is some fantastic footage of the car setting its top speed record. Apparently, according to Murray, the company had to disconnect the rev limiter in order for the car to set its record of 240 mph, and even climb to 243 mph (391 km/h). The driver, Andy Wallace, also exhibits textbook British understatement as he reaches 391 km/h. When he tops out he says, "It will not go anymore than 391. But anyway, 391's quite fast, isn't it?" Sure is. The video is definitely worth a watch. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

This McLaren 570S Spider is great for the budding enthusiast

The new McLaren 570S Spider is a wonderful car, but it's far out of the price range for most enthusiasts. The car starts at $208,800 before any options. Still, there is an alternative. McLaren and U.S. toymaker Step2 have just announced a new version of the 570S Spider that's both far more affordable and far easier to park. Unfortunately, the audience for this car is still quite limited, though this time the barrier of entry isn't the price. Additionally, you're missing out on that sweet twin-turbo V8. The 570S Step2 Push Sports Car is aimed at the entry-level car enthusiast. Very entry level. The small push cart looks like a slightly caricaturish version of the 570S Spider. The proportions are slightly off and the wheels are a little too big, like an oversized Hot Wheel. Still, it's mostly right and looks pretty damn cool, at least for a child. Under the center-mounted seat (think McLaren F1), you'll find a small storage bin and a few cupholders. Like the bigger 570S Spider, the 570S Step2 Push Sports Car ditches anti-roll bars. This car uses Step2's Whisper Wheels to give the car a quiet and smooth ride. The car goes on sale this fall for $79.99. The car will initially launch in Ventura Orange, but more colors will be available down the line. Related Video: News Source: McLaren/Step2 Toys/Games McLaren mclaren 570s mclaren 570s spider

Next moves for the Tesla Model 3 and Bollinger B1 | Autoblog Podcast #522

On this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Producer Christopher McGraw. We discuss two different electric vehicles: the Tesla Model 3 and Bollinger B1 truck. We also discuss our time driving the Porsche 911 and McLaren 570GT, plus the reveal of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Also, Spend My Money (your money, everyone's money) is back this week. The rundown is below. Remember, if you have a car-related question you'd like us to answer or you want buying advice of your very own, send a message or a voice memo to podcast at autoblog dot com. (If you record audio of a question with your phone and get it to us, you could hear your very own voice on the podcast. Neat, right?) And if you have other questions or comments, please send those too. Autoblog Podcast #522Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Topics and stories we mention Rundown Tesla Model 3 Bollinger B1 Porsche 911 Driving McLaren 570GT Driving Rolls-Royce Phantom Reveal Spend My Money (with guest appearance) Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show on iTunes Green Podcasts McLaren Porsche Toyota Truck Coupe SUV Electric Luxury Performance mclaren 570gt bollinger b1

Watch 280,000 Lego bricks become a McLaren 720S in just a minute

At this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, McLaren brought a bright orange 720S constructed almost entirely of Lego bricks. The only parts not obviously made of the little plastic pieces were the wheels and tires. As cool as the finished product is, one of the most fun things about building with Lego bricks is building it, and seeing everything come together. Fortunately, McLaren let us get a peak at the process by releasing this time-lapse video of the process. According to the video, the final model used 280,000 bricks, and it took a whopping 2,000 man hours to finish it. It's all condensed into a one-minute video. One of the impressive things to note during the build is that the vast majority of the car really is made of the plastic pieces. Only a metal base and two structures on which to mount the wheels and tires weren't made of Legos. The Lego 720S also is clearly quite sturdy, as there are a number of times when builders are sitting on the hood section without any issue. It's a fun way to spend a minute of your day, so check it out above. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Image Credit: McLaren / YouTube Toys/Games Weird Car News McLaren Coupe Supercars Videos Lego mclaren 720s

2017 McLaren 570GT | Drivers Notes

The 2017 McLaren 570GT is the British automaker's entry-level model. Along with its sister car, the 570S, it slots into the company's sports series. Like all other McLarens bar the all-new 720S, it uses a version of McLaren's 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The car makes extensive use of aluminum and carbon fiber, including the central carbon-fiber MonoCell II. Although this may be the lowliest of all McLarens, it's still faster and more capable than 99 percent of all cars on the road. While the 570S is a track-focused sports car, as the name implies, the 570GT is a grand tourer. The suspension is a bit softer, the sound insulation is a bit better, and there's an extra parcel shelf above the engine. The car has a handsome, purposeful design thats both sleek and exotic. The $210,400 price point puts it head-to-head against the Audi R8 V10 Plus, the Porsche 911 Turbo S, and the Lamborghini Huracan 580-2. We spent a few days in the 570S, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive from our staff. Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: I was skeptical when McLaren launched its car-building business nearly a decade ago, but every time I drive another one of its products, I can't help but think: They made it. McLaren really is pulling off the improbable. The company is making legit supercars, like the 570GT, that can compete with anything. Rest assured, I didn't ponder McLaren's business model during my entire time behind the wheel. Geez, that would have been a waste – because this thing is awesome. It's quick. It attracts a ton of attention. And the interior is gorgeous. That last part is what really got me thinking about how far McLaren has come. Some companies stick a big engine in a car, slap on carbon-fiber, and call it good. The 570GT has a beautiful cabin with stitched leather and a silky (and optional) Bowers & Wilkins 12-speaker sound system. The cabin reinforced for me McLaren's attention to detail and desire to be a luxury company. Also, the design is spot-on. It's curvy, proportional, and done up in Pacific (blue), it's tasteful. The 570GT is part of McLaren's sports series, but with a mid-mounted 562-hp V8 and carbon-fiber MonoCell II chassis, it certainly feels like it belongs in the supercar realm. With a sticker of $210,400, you're right in top-shelf 911 and R8 territory. I'd put my money on this McLaren. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.

McLaren 720S Hits Motorcycle | Autoblog Minute

A McLaren 720S hit a motorcycle at a Cars & Coffee event in Palm Beach, Florida. The video shows a cyclist yelling at the driver of the McLaren. McLaren Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video