This new video comparison may not have a BMW model featured in it, so it may not excited too many of you BMW enthusiasts. However, it does feature a BMW engine. The best engine BMW has ever made, to be perfectly honest. While the McLaren F1 isn’t a BMW product, it does use an engine from BMW that was personally developed by the legendary Paul Rosche himself. And I don’t know about you but I don’t need much of an excuse to watch the F1 in any video.
In this comparison from Autocar, the McLaren F1 takes on its more modern successors; the McLaren P1 and the all new Senna. So how does the old F1, developed in the early ’90s, take on two ultra-modern, high-tech hypercars?
That’s a silly question, if I’m honest. The answer is obvious: it’s better than the other two. The McLaren P1 is a masterpiece of engineering, there’s no doubt. With its hybrid powertrain, active aerodynamics and carbon fiber chassis, it’s one of the most impressive cars of the 21st century. The Senna is also a very impressive track car, with handling ability that is almost unmatched of any car to date. However, neither of those two can match the old McLaren F1 for its driver engagement and smile-factor.
With its 6.1 liter naturally-aspirated BMW M V12, making 627 hp, six-speed manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive and central driving position, the F1 feels special even at slow speeds. However, if you open it up, lean on it, it comes alive even further, providing a sense of feel and feedback that’s still unmatched even decades later. The other cars are superb but the McLaren F1 was, and still is, revolutionary. Even Autocar’s Matt Prior, while behind the wheel of the F1, admits that he’s “never driven a car as great as this”.
