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McLaren F1 GTR Longtail No. 1 is road-ready and listed for sale

The chassis number on this 1996 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail is 19R, but in the order of production, this car is No. 1. It’s the first longtail version of the GTR version of what many consider the greatest car ever made. Despite its track-intended build, it’s road-legal, and it’s currently up for sale in the United Kingdom. 

The special nature of 19R goes beyond the fact of its birth order. This car was reportedly used as a development prototype for the entire run of GTR Longtails and participated in numerous Japanese races, including the Suzuka 1000km. According to the listing, it’s also only one of two GTR Longtails in private ownership (Nick Mason owns the other), so this is likely one of few occasions in a lifetime when one will be available for purchase.

19R has another first under its belt, too. It was the first GTR Longtail to be converted to a road-legal specification. Gordon Murray, the designer of the F1, worked with Lanzante to turn the racecar version of the road car back into a road car. The unique F1 comes with a Gordon Murray Design book that documents the conversion, as well as the history of the car. All of the parts that were changed were also kept and come as part of a large spare parts package.

Although some might not see the value of the color scheme, McLaren painted it this way to draw attention to the differences between the GTR and the GTR Longtail. The vibrant markings exaggerate the changes and earned this car the nickname “Squiggles,” according to Tom Hartley Jr. 

If the paint scheme looks familiar, it might be because this car has been seen flexing its BMW Motorsport-sourced V12 at the Goodwood hillclimb (seen below). Via Road & Track, the 19R is listed without a price by Tom Hartley Jr.

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McLaren 675LT gets paint scheme from its dad

The McLaren 675LT was designed as a lighter, faster version of the 650S, and it gained a lengthened tail section, hence the LT designation. This longer design was partly inspired by the McLaren F1 GTR “longtail.” That race car also featured a longer body. One 675LT customer decided bodywork wasn’t enough of a connection to the famous ’90s racer, so he commissioned the race-inspired paint scheme you see above.

The paint job is a rendition of the 1997 Le Mans GT1 class-winning F1 GTR, which sported a livery based on main sponsor Gulf Oil. It’s not a simple design, and it’s one that McLaren completely painted. There are no stickers here. And it took a lot of work to complete. McLaren says the whole car took 1,000 hours to finish, and 800 of them were spent on the paint. The company even had to ask Gulf Oil permission to use the color scheme again. But the end result is a convincing facsimile of the old race car, particularly with those almost glowing orange wheels.

Aside from the striking paint, the car has a few exterior changes. It has vented front fenders, a more prominent roof scoop, and a visible carbon-fiber rear air brake. Inside, the car features black upholstery with contrasting orange and blue stitching, orange vent surrounds and seat belts, and blue handling and powertrain switchgear.

The only things left unchanged are the performance numbers. It doesn’t weigh any less than a normal model. It also makes the same 666 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque as the regular 675LTs. But that should still be plenty of fun to play with, and surely the paint job makes it feel a lot faster.

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