McLaren didn’t produce very many examples of the now legendary F1 GTR. Just 28 of the BMW V12-powered race cars were ever built, and not all of them had the opportunity of going racing very often. This car, chassis #017R, is one of the lucky few that was able to go head-to-head with the world’s sports car manufacturers on the race track.
The F1 GTR was rather successful when it went racing, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995 and taking numerous other wins in different race series all over the world. Chassis #017R didn’t win Le Mans, but it did compete in the endurance race in 1996 and even ran as high as third place at one point. The car was later retired and acquired by BMW of North America before being put on display.
Today F1 GTR #017R sits in original, unrestored condition and even sports a passenger seat for the purpose of giving lucky BMW and McLaren fans rides. It’s pictured here on display at McLaren of Philadelphia sporting its iconic stars and stripes Petrofina livery.
[via McLaren Philadelphia]
