At this year’s Classic & Sports Car Show, held at Alexandra Palace in London, the winner of the Greatest Supercar Ever competition was announced.
With iconic models such as the Ferrari F40 and Bugatti Veyron hotly-tipped to win, another car eventually came out on top: the McLaren F1.
With a significant 30 per cent of the total 17,000 votes, the F1 beat out cars such as the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900, Jaguar XKSS and Lamborghini Muira to be crowned the best supercar of the past 100 years.
The F1 was launched by McLaren in 1992, and was based on a concept conceived by Gordon Murray. On 31 March 1998, the supercar made headlines around the world when it smashed the records for the world’s fastest production car, reaching a staggering 240 mph after having the rev limiter removed.
With its striking butterfly doors and 6.1 litre V12 engine, the McLaren has made waves in both the luxury and racing worlds – winning the Le Mans 24 hour race in 1995.
“There is no supercar before it – or since – that has such purity of purpose,” commented James Elliott, editor of Classic & Sports Car. “The F1 has it all: it’s the most uncompromising car ever made and a fitting winner of the public vote.”
The iconic three-seater supercar also pipped the Ford GT40, Mercedes 300SL Gullwing and Porsche 911 Turbo to the post, proving its worth as the most coveted car of the last century – and setting the bar high for supercars to come.
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