This was not designed to fool anyone. It was meant to be fast.
It’s not surprising, considering the McLaren F1’s legendary status, that replicas of it aren’t seen more often. Nearly every Lamborghini manufactured since the Countach LP400S was subject to fiberglass kit car treatment with varying degrees success.
This McLaren F1 replica is not like many other Pontiac Fiero-based kits cars. It was built by DDR Motorsport and has the power to back it up. This is because it’s powered by a heavily modified Mitsubishi4G63 engine.
This video from YouTube channel HillClimb Monsters shows that the replica is a serious performance machine. It weighs in at approximately 1500 pounds and would not require a lot of horsepower to move in a hurry. But, no one told the builder.
The V12 BMW-based V12 that powers the McLaren F1 is not the same as the 4G63 Mitsubishi engine. These engines are renowned for their incredible potential and have been praised by import tuners.
This McLaren F1 replica’s 4G63 is tuned to produce 600 horsepower at 9,500 rpm, which is close to the original McLaren’s 618 horsepower. The 4G63’s high-revving power combined with the quick, crisp shifts of its gearbox makes for an exotic sound when the replica McLaren takes on the technical track.
We must remember that this is not a slapped together kit car. It is a racing car that was purpose-built and required a lot of engineering and fabrication to make it as fast as possible. It’s not meant to be a tribute or homage, but more of a situation where form follows function.
We’d still love to find out where one is available. We would be nervous about driving a McLaren F1 but we believe we can handle the car. Anyone who has ever known a high school kid with a Mitsubishi Eclipse knows how it feels to work on a 4G63.