Driving the incredible McLaren GTR trio: F1, P1 and Senna | Henry Catchpole - The Driver’s Seat

Driving one McLaren GTR would make for an amazing day. Getting to drive all three is nigh-on unbelievable. Only the F1, the P1 and the Senna have ever had the GTR treatment in McLaren’s history. Even fewer have been converted to drive on the road as well as the racetrack, but all three in this film have been through Lanzante’s workshop, meaning they can mingle with regular traffic. With matching liveries and a couple of Long Tails, it makes for quite the sight. In this latest episode of The Driver’s Seat, Henry Catchpole tells the GTR story with the help of Ray Bellm, the man who started it all. We delve into how the McLaren F1 road car became a race car that won Le Mans at the first attempt in 1995. What bargain did Ron Dennis make? How did J.J. Lehto get the best from the GTR? How did Bellm end up with two F1s in La Sarthe in 1997? It’s a fascinating tale. Jump forward 20 years and you have the modern McLaren GTRs, here painted in tribute to the F1’s Gulf Davidoff livery. There are other nods to the older car inside each one as well, but the P1 and Senna both bring their own characters to the party too. With 1080bhp the P1 is insanely fast (even after the fury of the short-geared, sequential shift F1) and arguably the most fluidly beautiful of the trio. Meanwhile, the Senna GTR has a modern race car feel to it and for the reason behind that you need to look at the car which was unveiled at the Geneva Motorshow in 2018… After driving around the old Top Gear test track for the day, Dean Lanzante then sat down with us to explain the reasons for and the work that goes into road-converting a GTR. There are legislative, heritage and comfort tightropes to be walked to greater and lesser degrees with all three. But the experience of driving a GTR on the road is worth the effort. Just remember to shift all the way down the F1’s sequential ‘box before you come to a stop! We hope that you enjoy the film and the stories in it. If the sound of a GTR downshift has inspired you and you’d like to show your support, then please do subscribe to the channel and give the film a thumbs up. It really helps. And if you’re interested in finding out more about the Hagerty Drivers Club and all its myriad benefits then just click on this link: https://www.hagerty.com/drivers-club/ #thedriversseat #henrycatchpole #neverstopdriving #mclarengtr #mclarenF1 Subscribe to our channel and turn on notifications! http://bit.ly/HagertyYouTube Visit our website for an insurance quote, to join Hagerty Drivers Club, and for daily automotive news, cars stories, reviews, and opinion: https://www.hagerty.com Stay up to date by signing up for our email newsletters here: https://www.hagerty.com/media/newsletter/ Follow us on social media: Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/Hagerty Instagram | https://instagram.com/Hagerty Twitter | https://twitter.com/Hagerty If you love cars, you belong with us. Hagerty Drivers Club is the world’s largest community for automotive enthusiasts. Members enjoy valuable automotive discounts, exclusive events and experiences, roadside service created specifically for collector vehicles, and a subscription to the bimonthly Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Join Hagerty Drivers Club here: https://www.hagerty.com/drivers-club Like what you see? Watch our other series including: Redline Rebuilds | Time-lapse engine rebuilds from start to finish http://bit.ly/RedlineRebuild Barn Find Hunter | Tom Cotter searches the country for abandoned cars http://bit.ly/BarnFIndHunter Jason Cammisa on the Icons | The definitive car review https://bit.ly/JasonCammisaICONS Revelations | Untold Stories About Automotive Legends with Jason Cammisa https://bit.ly/JasonCammisaRevelations The Driver's Seat with Henry Catchpole https://bit.ly/HenryCatchpole Contact us: Suggestions and feedback - videoquestions@hagerty.com Press inquiries - press@hagerty.com Partnership requests - partnerships@hagerty.com