McLaren, one of the UK’s automotive success stories, celebrates its 50th birthday today.
The F1 company started life in a small suburban office but now employs some 2,000 workers based in its futuristic, multimillion pound factory, where F1 cars are built and tested, as well as McLaren’s road cars. Engineers are currently finishing the first batch of the firm’s £966,000 P1 supercars that are due to be delivered to lucky customers next year. McLaren’s headquarters, which includes the F1 factory, was designed by architect Sir Norman Foster and opened by the Queen in 2004.
It houses some cutting-edge manufacturing facilities including its factory, wind tunnel, simulators, R&D centres for the F1 team as well as the top secret centre where the McLaren road cars are developed. In 1993 McLaren Automotive, launched the F1roadcar, which 20 years on, it is still regarded by many as the greatest supercar of all time.
More recently, it has rolled out both the 12C and 12C Spider high-performance sports cars and the McLaren P1TM – its newest supercar.
Proving that grubby production lines have come a very long way, McLaren’s airy and stylish production centre was opened in 2011 and is where all the road cars are produced. It includes a production line where cars are built by hand, a paint shop and a rolling road where cars are tested before going out on a test drive ahead of being shipped off to the customer.
The internal space is large enough to accommodate three jumbo jets, but the huge building in Woking is largely hidden from view and is carbon neutral.
The production centre has the capacity to produce 4,500 cars a year, a number that will be realised in 2015 when the company’s model portfolio expands to three separate models – the McLaren 12C, forthcoming P1 and a mystery unnamed model. McLaren’s chairman, Ron Dennis, explained the move into road cars.
He said: “McLaren’s first and founding principle was to compete successfully in motor sport and particularly Formula 1.
‘That goal has taken us to great heights, from an engineering and innovation perspective, and by rewarding our people for their endeavours over many long seasons of top level motor racing.
‘But despite all the trophies and great racing successes, there comes a time when the maturity of a company and its future development depends on broadening its activities.
