McLaren Distributing 'Unit 2' Private Collection to Dealerships for Display
For decades now, McLaren has secretly stored all of its Formula One race cars and same production models at a warehouse simply called ‘Unit 2’ out in England. But now, the British automaker is sending out almost half of the cars held there for display at its dealerships around the world.
Unit 2 has been storing all of McLaren’s F1 cars since 1981, when Ron Dennis first took control of the team. At one point, it had around 75 of McLaren’s F1 cars with plenty of racing heritage and prestige all packed in one location. But with the MP4-12C becoming a resounding success worldwide, McLaren has decided to share some of that racing history with the general public.
The British automaker plans to open 35 dealerships by the end of 2012 and each one will have a Unit 2 car for display. The first was Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 championship-winning MP4-23, which can now be seen at the London showroom in One Hyde Park. Each car heading out has been specially prepared to be put on display, all of which have been properly maintained over the years in storage.
McLaren also didn’t just blindly pick and choose which cars went where. In most cases, the car each dealership is receiving has some relevance to its location. The Brussels dealership for example, will be the new home for Kimi Raikonnen’s 2004 Belgian Grand Prix MP4-19 winner. The Philadelphia dealership over in America will feature James Hunt’s McLaren M26 which won the 1976 U.S. Grand Prix.
[Source: Motor Authority]
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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