Arabian Yachts April-May 2012

Page 46

CAR OF THE MONTH

McLaren F1 A car designed to fly The Mclaren is the first production car to use carbon fiber monocoque design, which was once the domain of aircraft builders making high-performance, lightweight flying machines. This means that instead of ensuring overall strength and rigidity using frames, outer panels necessary for creating the vehicle shape are given the minimum necessary reinforcement to ensure strength and rigidity.

44 Arabian Yachts

This means you have a car designed to fly. That’s for the F1’s low weight. Now, the high power. The Mclaren F1 has a BMW-designed 6.0 liter V12 engine that weighs in at 266 kilograms yet generates 627 horsepower. To address issues on heat damaging carbon fiber parts as a result of engine running high on power, McLaren plated the engine compartment with gold foil for insulation

such that combined with the frame’s light structure, the power-to-weight ratio of the McLaren F1 is down to 550 horsepower per ton. Some car lovers say that’s amazing. The McLaren F1 has held bragging rights to being the world’s fastest car for quite some time now—zero to 62 mph is at 3.2 seconds; zero to 100 miles per hour, 6.3 seconds; top speed is around 248 mph.


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Arabian Yachts April-May 2012 by Shaza Sharaffdeen - Issuu