The project is part of the renewed relationship announced last summer when McLaren confirmed Gulf’s return as an official strategic partner and a demonstration of the personalisation possibilities available on McLaren’s supercars.
McLaren first partnered with Gulf in
both Formula 1 and Can-Am from 1968 to 1973. The association was revived
in the 1990s with the GTC Competition team’s legendary McLaren F1 GTRs,
with victory in the 1996 BPR Global Endurance Series and the GT1 Class
at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1997.
Having reunited again in
2020, this year Gulf became the preferred lubricant supplier to McLaren,
with all cars to be filled with Gulf oil and fuel optimised for high
performance engines.
A limited number of customers will
exclusively have the opportunity to have their McLaren supercars
hand-painted by MSO in Gulf livery. The 720S revealed this week is the
culmination of a joint project between MSO and Gulf to ensure a
perfectly colour-matched range of paints in metallic and solid finishes
that capture both of their unique identities.
Having trialled
several iterations to create the perfect finish from McLaren paint
technology partner AkzoNobel’s exhaustive pallet of premium automotive
paint hues, the definitive version alone is the product of 20 days of
work by MSO’s craftsmen and women.
In addition to the iconic
racing blue and orange colours, MSO has echoed the Gulf solid orange
colour on the brake calipers, with the bespoke interior of this 720S
featuring matching blue and orange stitching with Gulf logos embroidered
on the headrests and painted on the sills.
The famous McLaren
steering wheel incorporates a centre band to match the exterior stripe
in Gulf solid orange and Gulf solid dark blue on the visual carbon fibre
spokes.
The 720S remains the benchmark supercar; with a
twin-turbocharged McLaren V8 engine producing up to 720 PS and 770 Nm of
torque, it can accelerate to 100 km/h from standstill in just 2.9
seconds and has a maximum speed of 341 km/h.
Its carbon fibre
Monocage II contributes to a class-leading lightest dry weight of 1,283
kg, while Proactive Chassis Control II suspension and active
aerodynamics help to unleash this sensational performance on both road
and track.
