The on-track rivalry between the Ferrari and McLaren Formula 1 teams has been one of the most intense and hard fought in the history of grand prix racing. Now McLaren wants to take that battle to the streets. If surprise plans announced by McLaren Group chairman Ron Dennis today come to fruition, within five years McLaren Automotive, the division of the Group that currently builds the Mercedes-McLaren SLR, will be a stand alone company building up to 4000 high-performance sports car a year.
Centerpiece of the plan is an all-new mid-engine McLaren sports car codenamed P11. Dennis gave no detail about the car, but it is a Ferrari F430-sized coupe. The P11’s design is the work of talented American Frank Stephenson, whose credits include the new Mini and the new Fiat 500, and stints at Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo. It’s a handsome, relatively conventional looking coupe that …Â Details & Pictures
So you want the ultimate Fast & Furious movie souvenir and head over to eBay to find it. There, to your shocked surprise, is one of the Camaros used to portray the “F-Bomb”, up for bid at a starting price of $18,000. And, wow, one of the Buick Grand Nationals used in the opening fuel truck hijacking scene is available, too. Dig a bit deeper and there’s one of the Hammer replica 1970 Plymouths, and a 350Z and old Chrysler Imperial from the movie, too. How did all these cars wind up on eBay, for sale from the same source: the Volo Auto Museum in tiny Volo, Illinois?
“We got rid of all the cars that couldn’t be reasonably fixed,” explains Fast & Furious’ Picture Car Coordinator Dennis McCarthy. “Anything that was worth fixing, we saved and is still owned by Universal. All those cars are out doing promotional appearances all over the place. We got rid of all the junk.” … Details