THE CAR

The Gtr-spec F1 actually made less power than the standard road car. Le Mans regulations meant the F1’s naturally aspirated BMW V12 was fitted with an air restrictor throttling its power from 461 to 441 kw. However, stripped of all interior luxuries and given added downforce – including a large, adjustable fixed wing – the GTR was lighter, faster and more nimble than its road-going sibling.

The Mclaren’s designer, South African Gordon Murray, never actually intended for his celebrated creation to go racing and it was only the launch of the BPR Global GT Endurance Series – plus entries from Ferrari with its F40 and Porsche with the 911 Turbo – that persuaded Mclaren’s then chairman, Ron Dennis, to have a go.

And this no. 59 F1 GTR wasn’t even supposed to be at Le Mans. For the 1995 season, Mclaren had been running F1 GTRS for customer teams and it was only a few months before the Le Mans event that Dennis instructed Lanzante Motorsport to prepare a factory effort. Rumour has it chassis 01R was never supposed to beat any of the client teams, either, and was there as back up should they fail. If, by the way, you’re wondering who Tokyo Ueno Clinic is: it’s a Japanese plastic-surgery clinic which specialises in, um, gentlemen’s privates.