Secret M5 Touring Packs Heart of McLaren F1 Under the Hood
E34-era M5 Touring was used to test the 6.1-liter, 618-horsepower V12 before BMW placed it inside one of the world’s famous supercars.
The 1990s gave the world one of the greatest supercars to ever hit the road: the McLaren F1. Autocar alone stated in 1994 that the F1 was “the finest driving machine yet built for the public road,” would be remembered “as one of the great events in the history of the car,” and would likely be “the fastest production road car the world will ever see.”
For any of that to happen, though, McLaren legend Gordon Murray had to find the right builder for the F1’s engine. BMW, of course, was the one who made the F1 sing, thanks to the help of BMW M division engine chief Paul Rosche, and — as Motor Authority reports — a special E34 M5 Touring.
The source of this story is the Collecting Cars Podcast, hosted by Chris Harris and Edward Lovett. Last month, they invited former McLaren director of road and race cars David Clark to talk about his time with the company during the rise of the F1.
It was during the podcast when Clark revealed BMW not only used an M5 wagon to test the 6.1-liter V12, but likely still had it tucked away in its test vehicle garage, and that he drove it.
“When they tested the engine [of the McLaren F1] it was in an M5 estate car,” said Clark. “I’ve driven [it], it’s an outrageous thing.”
While only 106 F1s of all stripes were ever made between 1992 and 1998, BMW built 350 copies of the 6.1-liter V12, each capable of delivering 618 horsepower to the supercar’s rear wheels. Though the car itself has since been bested by the likes of the Bugatti Chiron and Koenigsegg Agera RS for the title of fastest production road car, the F1 is still the only one to do it without the use of turbos and superchargers.
Meanwhile, The Drive says Murray is working a spiritual successor to the F1, currently named the T.50. Said car is aimed not at achieving records or compete on the track, but to be the ultimate driving machine. And with BMW supplying McLaren with a whole assortment of engines to this day, the T.50 will certainly live up to BMW’s motto.
Photos: Motor Authority, The Drive, and BMW
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