‘Triple Crown’ - McLaren 750S with 3-7-59 Theme
McLaren Automobile has unveiled the amazingly intricate 3-7-59 Theme, its most ambitious and meticulous custom livery to date. McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris, McLaren IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward, and former McLaren F1 driver Derek Bell, who twice competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a McLaren F1 GTR, unveiled the special McLaren 750S supercar featuring the Theme, which was realized by the expert paint technicians at McLaren Special Operations (MSO). Michael McDonagh, Director of MSO and Motorsport at McLaren Automotive, accompanied the three drivers.
This stunning tribute to McLaren's unparalleled success in winning motorsport's unofficial 'Triple Crown' of victories at the Indianapolis 500, the Monaco Grand Prix, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans was unveiled to the public at the Velocity International luxury motorsports festival at Sonoma Raceway, USA. Its unveiling was a highlight of the yearlong commemoration of McLaren's founding in 1963 and the company's 60th anniversary.
Six client cars, all 750S coupes or Spiders, will be painted in distinct versions of the 3-7-59 Theme, a process that will take more than 1200 hours and result in vehicles that have already been sold.
"As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of McLaren being founded, we of course reflect on our legacy of pushing boundaries, both in motorsport and more recently in supercar and hypercar excellence. The 3-7-59 Theme takes inspiration from both of these areas, as a showcase of extreme performance that pays tribute to our Triple Crown success. The most challenging project ever delivered by McLaren Special Operations is a truly stunning expression of McLaren’s industry-leading paint expertise, on a supercar that sets a new benchmark in its class.” - Michael Leiters, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Automotive
There were three different McLarens that won the Triple Crown, and their race numbers—"3" for Johnny Rutherford's M16D at the 1974 Indy 500, "7" for Alain Prost's Monaco-winning McLaren MP4/2 in 1984, and "59" for Yannick Dalmas, Masanori Sekiya, and JJ Lehto's 1995 McLaren F1 GTR—were all inspirations for the theme name.
The 3-7-59 Theme, which incorporates the winning cars' liveries into a vibrant collage featuring illustrated details of the three races and the cars that won them, is as remarkable and iconic as the cars that won them and the achievement of the Triple Crown.
The 3-7-59 Theme pushes the limits of McLaren's paint capabilities by using more than 20 different hues to create the eye-catching body of the automobile. McLaren Special Operations' paint experts have drawn on decades of knowledge and techniques established to produce prior one-off customer requests to create the astounding depth and detail in each car.
Before getting behind the wheel, the 3-7-59 Theme begins telling its Triple Crown tale. The keychain has hand-painted artwork that is reminiscent of the car's exterior design. The F1 car's expressive "shattered" front end is based on the white and red livery of the McLaren MP4/2, with the MP4/2's "7" race number prominently displayed on the bonnet.
The grey paint job, the '59' racing number, and the brilliant green dot on the car's nose that indicated it was competing in the GT1 class of the famed 24-hour race are all references to the 1995 Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 GTR on both sides of the 3-7-59 Theme.
Other fine touches in the paintwork recount McLaren's Triple Crown story, such as hidden 'easter eggs' referencing the winning cars, the years McLaren has been victorious at a Triple Crown event, and the development of the McLaren logo from the original McLaren Racing crest to the 'Speedmark' used today.
The McLaren M16D served as the inspiration for the back two-thirds of the 3-7-59 Theme, which is orange to honour the 1974 Indy 500 victor and has the blue '3' of the winning racing car. showing remarkable attention to detail, the orange paint smoothly flows into the grey colour of the F1 GTR on the side showing the M16D's racing number.
Thanks to a cutting-edge method that MSO developed, a dramatic blue "splash" erupts over the car on the other side. The paint effect is scaled up from a scanned splash that was originally done on canvas. The splash seems three-dimensional thanks to the use of four different hues of blue inside it, even though it is perfectly flush with the car's surface.
In yet another nod to the three Triple Crown winners, the brake callipers on the Satin Black ultra-lightweight Vortex alloy wheels alternate between blue, red, and Le Mans Gold.
Beyond the amazing workmanship demonstrated on the 3-7-59's body, MSO craftsmen have also integrated hidden and interactive new functions. The exterior and interior livery each have a QR code that, when scanned, will take the user to a webpage with information on the vehicle. Within the headlamp mounting, the LED running lights are housed in a bracket that, under certain lighting conditions and viewing angles, reflects a '3-7-59' design. And back there, beneath the airbrake, an electrochromic MSO logo glows in the brake light.
Experimenting with new materials, McLaren has designed external detailing fashioned from silver leaf. On the lower door on both sides of the 750S with the 3-7-59 Theme, in silver with a wonderful patina finish, is one of several special applications of the mark throughout the vehicle that was achieved using gilding techniques developed in-house by McLaren to achieve its own desired effect.
Both the standard Carbon Fibre Racing Seats' headrests and the centre armrest are adorned with Triple Crown emblem patterns embroidered in McLaren Orange. The seats are upholstered in graphite Alcantara with white contrast stitching and contain more Triple Crown graphics.
In homage to the McLaren MP4/2, the interior features hand-painted extended carbon fibre shift paddles based on the red and white shattered' paintwork adorning the 3-7-59's nose, as well as visible carbon fibre door trim painted with the same artwork that features on the seats.
The 3-7-59 has distinguishing characteristics beyond the realm of vision. The pedals have a ceramic coating and are adorned with white, black, and orange Triple Crown stars that match some of the exterior paint features of the automobile. Doorsills made of optical carbon fibre are also decorated with the same stars. Once you open the doors, you'll see the third secret feature: a dedication plaque honouring McLaren's achievement in Formula 1 and the Monaco Grand Prix, complete with an authentic piece of the car's bright red and white carbon fibre exterior.
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