Okay, so none of us here are going to own one, i wouldn't think.
Especially since they are now fetching over a million quid, secondhand.
My question then.
Which car, at a much reduced price, comes the closest in terms of performance and handling?
I am talking about a car which can be bought, used but vgc, for £100K maximum, which will get as close as possible to the mighty McLaren.
Fire away!

My initial thoughts would include a new 7011cc Corvette (£60K), with a £25K twin-turbo and running gear upgrade addition.
One in New York State like that has 700 bhp @ 6200 rpm.

Maybe a used 996 turbo with low miles (£65K), with the 600 bhp upgrade which is available for around £15K.

Jaguar XJ 220

It did 217 back in the 90's when it was first released, probably take an hour to there but it will still be pretty quick IMO.

P.s - ive seen the XJ 220's got for less than £60.000 before.

I doubt the handling would be up to much though, Ping.
Heavy too.

Nova innit? wikkid go faster stripes and a K+N filter shoved up somewhere and an unfailing belief that Ferrari should have called you for the F1?


Or maybe sommit a bit ruf?

My mates 3 cylinder Suzuki Swift would give it a run for its money.


How about a TVR Cerbera Speed 12, although I think it could be a little too expensive or something like a Lister Storm etc.

...What about one of those crazy 1000hp Japanese Skylines you read about? Must be about the cheapest way of getting that kind of performance.

The first thing to remember, the McLaren F1 IS NOT about speed. Gordon Murray wanted a pure, sporty driving experience, and did not intentionally build the fastest ever production road car, (Aside from a Veyron).
I would say it needed to be light, responsive and grippy, and for a GOOD driver ro be able to extract tremendous cornering ability from it. My nominations would be:
Noble M15. Excellent, balanced and light, everying the F1 was.

Ferrari F430. A mini Enzo, suitable for road or track.

I would add Carrera GT, but it's outside the designated price.

I agree with ProfJC about the Noble M15. There's also all these souped up Caterham 7s and the new Exige S.

quote:

Originally posted by kalvaza2:
I agree with ProfJC about the Noble M15. There's also all these souped up Caterham 7s and the new Exige S.

But i am thinking of cars which can comfortably exceed 200 mph and give the McLaren a run on a track!

Porsche Carerra GT is all I can think of, and possibly the Jaguar XJ220.
Ferrari Enzo/Maserati MC12?

So it looks like the best bet for value for money is a new £60K 2006 Corvette, with a £25K outlay for 700 bhp upgrade and suspension/brakes mods.

Possibly a BMW M5? You can get one for 60 grand second hand so mabye 40 grands worth of tinkering could make it super competitive?

It depends what kind of track you are thinking of. There are some where 200mph+ is not a realistic figure to achieve. Perhaps Noble M15 around Monaco would achieve a time near to the McLaren F1?

Corvette is about straight line speed. McLaren is about the purest sporty driving experince, so it's got to be the Noble really, or the Ferrari. I would add Porsche 997 GT3 with some Ruf tinkering.

prof the new corvettes really handle...admitedly they aint keen on bumpy surfaces, but on a smooth track, they are pretty awesome...this is the opinion of car mag and many others, including your beloved jcjcjc.....i admire the mclaren, but it was flawed...clunky gearchange and tricky on the limit handling...but wholeheatredly agree about the size...it was surprisingly petite as all supercars should be to remain useable...i think in size/performance one of the 911s come closest, everythin else is too lardy...xj220 a wonderful abberation....ugly

A used F430 possibly, don't really know the cost. but i would be happy to strech to have one.

Well, id have a Monaro 6.0 V8 VXR - And how much is that? 35grand!! , thats pretty cheap aint it. Leaves me a few pennies to upgrade the suspension etc etc.

Add a few more BHP, 397 isnt quite enough to keep up with the previously mentioned cars, but im sure the V8 has a bit more to offer. ITs still good enough for 170 and 52.seconds to 60, and it does some crazy drifting.

I would have to say the Porsche Carrera GT.
Bases not soley around speed, but about the ultimate driving experience, Porsche are in the same league with chassis as McLaren. It has an excellent gearchange, ceramic brakes and clutch and is super light with very responsive steering and feel. One of the few supercars which can command its price.

quote:

Originally posted by Dan1989:
ITs still good enough for 170 and 52.seconds to 60, and it does some crazy drifting.

52 seconds to 60!?



By the way, I had an argument with my sister (yes, SISTER) about the difference between powersliding and drifting. I didn't think there was a difference. Could someone enlighten me?

quote:

I would have to say the Porsche Carrera GT.
Bases not soley around speed, but about the ultimate driving experience, Porsche are in the same league with chassis as McLaren. It has an excellent gearchange, ceramic brakes and clutch and is super light with very responsive steering and feel. One of the few supercars which can command its price.

They bidget is inside £100,000. The carrera GT is roughly £320,000.

quote:

Originally posted by kalvaza2:
Possibly a BMW M5? You can get one for 60 grand second hand so mabye 40 grands worth of tinkering could make it super competitive?

My car weighs 1700 kgs so is too heavy really.
Straight line speed wouldn't be too different with a supercharger or twin-turbo set up, but the car is too big and wide really.

5.2seconds maybe lol, 52 seconds wow getting into Reanult Clio territory there.

The Monaro is a lot of car for little money.
Great engine.

Six litre for £25K used and the 5.7 litre is now down to as little as £16K, 3 years old.

Not a Mclaren though.
The F1 is not a muscle car!
It's precisce handling and a great driving experience.