2022 Mclaren Gt Base 2dr Coupe on 2040-cars

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Car designer Frank Stephenson wants to show you something ... smaller

Influential car designer Frank Stephenson has often thought small. Now he’s thinking smaller. Throughout the past three decades, he has shaped — literally — some of the most indelible designs in automotive history: the modern Mini, the Ferrari FXX track star, the Maserati Gran Sport, a range of stunning McLarens and down to the funky 21st-century version of the Fiat 500. Now heÂ’s turned his pen to fashioning watches. His Cosmos analog piece, made to mirror “a black hole in space” and detailed “with an orange pinstripe which simulates the supernova glow of a neutron star,” features a Japan-built quartz movement and was created in concert with the Time Concepts company. “ItÂ’s the age-old adage ‘car people are watch people,Â’ so it was a natural step for me to get creative with timepieces too,” Stephenson said in a statement. “The collection showcases the love I have for exceptional and emotionally charged design, just like what is required in designing world class cars.” While Stephenson, who is 64, may be best known publicly for his vision of “affordable style” with the Mini and the Fiat, his ethos also translated to the utilitarian. In the case of BMW in the mid-1990s, the company was hustling to market an SUV, and turned to him for inspiration. His team had six months to complete the project. The result was the high-end X5, which Stephenson sketched during a two-hour flight. In 2018, Stephenson established the independent design company, Frank Stephenson Design, based in London. Related video: Design/Style BMW Ferrari Fiat Maserati McLaren MINI Gadgets watch frank stephenson

First US-spec McLaren F1 will be auctioned in August

To own any McLaren F1 would be a special experience. It was the fastest car in the world for many years with a top speed of over 230 mph, courtesy of a glorious 627-horsepower V12 from BMW M. But as special as each individual F1 is, there are some few with that extra something, and among them is this 1995 F1 that will be offered by Bonhams at its Quail Lodge auction in August. This particular 1995 F1's extra something is the fact that it was the very first to be imported to the US and made fully street-legal. Not only that, but it's only had one owner from the day it was purchased. According to Bonhams, the owner of this car, number 44 of 64, bought it in 1996. He took delivery of it at McLaren's factory in Woking, Great Britain, and he immediately took it on a grand road trip across Europe. Following the trip, he had it shipped back to America for a company called Ameritech to go about updating the car to meet US safety and emissions regulations. In the 22 years that the original owner had it, he put 9,600 miles on the odometer. The lucky buyer of this McLaren will get a thoroughly clean and complete car. The interior and engine bay are immaculate. Even the fusebox and other tertiary parts are in excellent shape. The original tool roll and luggage are included, as well as the complete toolbox for maintaining the car. Also, the original owner returned the car to European specifications after importing it, but he retained all of the parts necessary to make the car US-legal. All of those parts are included with the car in case the new owner wanted, or needed, to reinstall them. All things considered, this McLaren will likely run a very high price, but it could very well be worth it for whomever brings it home. Related Video: Featured Gallery First US-Spec McLaren F1 View 34 Photos Image Credit: Bonhams McLaren Auctions Coupe Supercars Classics bonhams quail lodge

F1 title fight gets closer | 2016 US Grand Prix recap

We ran into an old friend at the US Grand Prix: an on-form Lewis Hamilton. Reliability and proper clutch actuation helped the Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver resurrect the kind of performance we haven't seen since July at the German Grand Prix. After demolishing the previous qualifying record around the Circuit of the Americas, he put the field in his mirrors as soon as the lights went out, was never bothered by anyone behind, and crossed the finish line 4.5 seconds ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg. The drive was exactly what Hamilton needed to keep his molecule-thin Championship hopes alive. Rosberg, however, did exactly what he needed to do as well by finishing second. The German had a sketchier path to the checkered flag than Hamilton, getting pushed back to the third at the start by Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo. Worse, Ricciardo appeared to have the pace to keep Hamilton honest ahead and hold Rosberg behind. Red Bull and Mercedes matched one another's pit stops, and it was clear the German would need more help to pass the Aussie. Rosberg didn't have to make his own luck, Ricciardo's teammate Max Verstappen made the luck for him. Ricciardo pitted on Lap 26, ceding second position on track to Rosberg. On Lap 30, Verstappen's gearbox failed while headed down the back straight. The Dutch teenager said the team told him to try to get the car back to the pits, so he dawdled through a few corners before following more team orders to pull over and park. Verstappen's parking spot and bad gearbox meant marshals couldn't push the car off the track, they needed to use a crane. That brought out a Virtual Safety Car, slowing the whole race down and allowing Rosberg to run a longer stint while losing less time on old tires. When the German came in for new tires on Lap 31 he emerged ahead of Ricciardo, and they ran that way to the end of the race, much to Ricciardo's disappointment. Sebastian Vettel claimed fourth for Ferrari, a placing perhaps due only to Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen retiring from the race. An otherwise anonymous weekend for the scuderia called attention to itself on race day when Raikkonen had to call it a day after a botched pit stop, and Vettel couldn't make any impression on the teams ahead. Fernando Alonso rode home to a brilliant fifth for McLaren. During the first stint while rummaging around outside the top ten, the Spaniard complained about his lack of pace. By Lap 15 Alonso was tenth, on Lap 34 he was eighth.