New McLaren 750S Triple Crown special-edition revealed

McLaren Automotive has announced it will produce an ultra-exclusive run of six McLaren 750S supercars that pay tribute to the British race team achieving motorsport’s coveted Triple Crown.

Revealed in California as part of McLaren’s 60th anniversary celebrations, the McLaren 750S ‘3-7-59 Theme’ edition is the work of the car-maker’s McLaren Special Operations (MSO) division and is claimed to feature its most complex and ambitious livery ever.

The new McLaren 750S special marks the British race outfit’s wins at the Indianapolis 500, the Monaco Grand Prix and the Le Mans 24 Hour – the three most prestigious races that make up the famed ‘Triple Crown’.

It was unwrapped by McLaren F1 racer Lando Norris, McLaren IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward and former McLaren F1 driver Derek Bell at Velocity International festival at Sonoma Raceway.

Said to have taken an incredible 1200 hours to paint, each six customer cars will wear variations on the 3-7-59 Theme, which can be applied to either a 750S coupe or Spider.

If you’re wondering what the significance of the numbers are, they each represent the race number worn by the victorious McLarens in each of the three Triple Crown events.

The ‘3’ pays tribute to the M16D that took the chequered flag at the 1974 Indy 500 driven by Johnny Rutherford. the ‘7’ is from Alain Prost’s Monaco win in the 1984 McLaren MP4/2 and, finally, the ‘59’ is from the McLaren F1 GTR that won the Le Mans 24 Hour in 1995, driven by Yannick Dalmas, Masanori Sekiya and JJ Lehto.

Incorporating more than 20 colours, the 750S livery is a vivid collage that blends the paint schemes of all three victorious cars. Even the key fob gains a hand-painted artwork that mimics the multi-coloured exterior of each car.

The specific car unveiled features the white and red livery from the McLaren MP4/2, with that car’s #7 race number on the bonnet. The paint then subtly merges into a ‘shattered’ interpretation of the F1 car livery.

Both sides of the 3-7-59 livery form a homage to the 1997 F1 GTR that won Le Mans, with the 750S sporting the same grey colour scheme and even the bright green dot that announced that it was participating in the top-flight GT1 class.

For the nerdiest of motorsport fans, McLaren has even planted some easter eggs that reference the cars that won the races, the years it was triumphant in the Triple Crown and the evolution of McLaren’s logo from a crest to the more familiar Speedmark used today.

The final third of the McLaren 750S matches the orange colour used on the 1974 Indy 500 winner. Like the original racer, there’s a number 3 in blue, while on the side the orange transitions back to grey via a swirling chequered flag decal.

On the other side there’s a wild blue finish inspired by the 1974 racer’s decal, which is said to burst across the car into the ‘59’ decal and grey paint from the 1995 F1 GTR.

Other details include satin black rims and brake callipers that are painted in blue, red and Le Mans gold, matching the stoppers of the three Triple Crown winners.

The are also three QR codes on the exterior and interior that provide links to a webpage detailing the car.

The attention to detail extends to small ‘3-7-59’ motifs on the bracket housing of the LED running lights within the headlights, and MSO logos that illuminate within the tail-lights and the underside of the airbrake.

More unusual touches include a 3-7-59 Theme logo made from silver leaf and applied to the lower doors on both sides of the 750S using gilding techniques developed in-house, along with a Triple Crown logo.

Inside, McLaren Orange stitching is used for the Triple Crown logos on the carbon-fibre race seats and the centre armrest, while further Triple Crown art appears on graphite Alcantara trim with white stitching.

The visual carbon-fibre trim also features the special artwork, there’s a 12 o’clock marker on the steering wheel trim and hand-painted extended carbon-fibre gearshift paddles are inspired by the red and white shattered paintwork lifted from the McLaren MP4/2.

Hidden detailed changes include pedals with laser artwork matching the exterior paint and white, black and orange Triple Crown stars on the visual carbon-fibre door sills. A third hidden plaque can only be viewed when the door is open.

Watch this space for our first drive of the new McLaren 750S this Friday (November 17).

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