New McLaren F1 – rendered

A modern rendering of the McLaren F1 created by Matt Williams

Many thought the 12C was a bit too generic. Almost a morphing of supercar styling from other makers. But in many ways that could be its long-term strength. There may be nothing radically new to fawn over on the styling front, but nor is there anything strikingly different which could end up looking very dated very quickly.

And a big part of the problem was that people inevitably compared it to the legendary F1. Which is a little unfair. The 12C will – in real terms – cost less than a fifth of the mighty F1. So comparisons need to be drawn with the 458 Italia and the LP560, not the F1. And there it stands up well.

McLaren are working on a replacement for the F1, although we’re unlikely to see that before 2014. But that hasn’t stopped Coventry University graduate Matt Williams from styling a modern-day version of the McLaren F1 for his final year project. And a cracking job he’s done too.

Matt has created a car that could stand up against the original F1. It features the three-seat configuration the original did and is powered by a tweaked and sorted BMW V10 – BMW power as in the F1. But sadly it’s just a concept. It doesn’t really exist apart from in the dream world of CAD.

But it should give Frank Stephenson and the design team at McLaren food for thought.

By Cars UK