McLaren Premieres X-1 Concept

By Marcus Slater - August 20, 2008

The biggest name this year was definitely McLaren. They took the show as a chance to officially debut the MP4-12C Spider. McLaren has been teasing the drop to version of their sportscar for months now, but the unveiled it in the very yellow flesh last weekend. The thing is, we we’re expecting that. We were not expecting this.

That, is the McLaren X1. It’s… Well, it’s a concept car, but not the type that we’d expect to see actually come to fruition. It was created when one of McLaren’s fans approached them about a custom car. Three years later, the X-1 was born. To understand how something so… distinct, came to be, it helps to understand what inspired it. According to McLaren via Jalopnik,

Inspirational cars included a 1961 Facel Vega, a 1953 Chrysler D’Elegance Ghia, a 1959 Buick Electra, a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K and a 1971 Citroën SM. There were various examples of architecture – including the Guggenheim museums in New York and Bilbao – plus a Jaeger LeCoultre art deco clock, an Airstream trailer, a Thomas Mann Montblanc pen, a grand piano – and an eggplant. ‘The client liked the shiny texture of the finish,’ notes Stephenson. There was also a black-and-white photo of Audrey Hepburn.

Mercedes 540K? Audrey Hepburn? It’s like a WW2 tycoon’s fever dream.

McLaren Premieres X-1 Concept

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