Retro liveries on brand new hypercars? Don’t get us started… sometimes they look kinda tacky. But when a livery is ordered by a dedicated McLaren collector with a lifelong passion for the achievements of Ayrton Senna, and orders his P1 in Senna-style McLaren MP4/4 Formula 1 livery–well, that’s OK by us! It’s just been unveiled by McLaren Special Operations (MSO) in the iconic colours of then-sponsor Marlboro, It’s a livery that was synonymous with McLaren for more than 20 years, and which appeared on the MP4/4 that propelled Senna to the first of his three F1 World Championship titles.
The owner oversaw every detail of the project, using the core colours of McLaren Rocket Red and Anniversary White, with the Senna trademark on the front splitter and just in front of the air intake and each door, plus a Senna script and “Driven to Perfection” slogan on the doors and intake. The Brazilian flag is also used along with a barcode instead of the Marlboro script, due to cigarette advertising restrictions. On the nose is Senna’s 1988 race number “12”, with 30th anniversary laurels behind the side windows plus a list of McLaren technical partners of the past and present.
With the approval of the Senna family the owner has named the car “Beco”, which was the nickname given to Ayrton by his parents. It has a unique engine specification that increases the power available from the hybrid powertrain, and that’s complemented by a 24ct gold heatshield, Lexan rear cover and modified engine bay shrouds. A full aerodynamic programme has resulted in new aero features to increase downforce to 800kg. These include new front dive planes, a wider front splitter, a Gurney flap at the rear and new barge boards to improve the airflow along the sides of the car. Even the rear wing features bigger endplates than those on a standard McLaren P1 GTR wing–and they emulate the MP4/4 wing.
You probably won’t be surprised to hear that the interior is altered too, with a reproduction of Senna’s signature on the carbon fibre chassis sill along with the Senna quote, “I am not designed to finish 2nd or 3rd… I am designed to win”. The steering wheel has been trimmed in Alcantara with stitching colour-matched to the wheel of the MP4/4, and Alcantara has also been used for the facia cover panel. There’s Senna branding on the steering wheel and passenger dash panel, with a thin red stripe running along the door panels and dash. The seats are the Super Lightweight Racing items developed for the McLaren Senna. Oh, and there’s even a bespoke crash helmet to the customer’s commission, in matching livery. After all, why do things by half?
Images courtesy of McLaren Automotive
