The secretive shop that keeps the rare McLaren F1 on the road

Straits Times

4 days ago

The secret workshop near Philadelphia specialises in handling the ultra-rare and expensive McLaren F1, which was built between 1992 and 1998.
PHILADELPHIA – Of the many amenities Mr Kevin Hines was grateful for when his workplace relocated earlier in 2025 – spacious tool cabinets, gleaming epoxy-coated floors, a powerful extractor system for exhaust fumes – it was the simple presence of windows that he particularly appreciated.
While abundant natural light may seem a basic requirement for a car repair shop, the previous location was windowless.
There are good reasons to limit street-level transparency at this specialised business, which is dedicated to servicing a single model from a single carmaker: the McLaren F1, produced in England from 1992 to 1998.
Assuring privacy and security for the owners of these ground-breaking supercars, which typically trade at eight-figure prices, is non-negotiable. The shop in the Philadelphia area , operated by the McLaren Philadelphia dealership, keeps its address closely held.
Mr Hines' previous workplace was a curtained-off area of a service facility, where he tended to everything from periodic maintenance – McLaren's guidelines calls for service at nine- and 18-month intervals – to precision repairs to factory-developed upgrades.
Mechanic Kevin Hines has been specially trained to handle the McLaren F1.
PHOTO: TONY CENICOLA/NYTIMES
That work continues at the new shop, where each visit may have the car staying for weeks , depending on what needs attention and whether parts need to come from England .
The hourly rate is US$395 (S$500) , Mr Hines said, and the waiting time for an appointment is about 1½ months. The nine-month maintenance typically runs about US$14,000 , while the 18-month service is usually about US$21,000.
Owners of the limited-edition F1 model – just 106 were produced, of which only 64 were road cars to begin with – have a powerful incentive to take their cars to Mr Hines. His shop is one of only two McLaren-authorised service facilities in the world, the other being in Woking, England. He is also one of just two technicians trained by McLaren to work on the F1.
Today, an F1 costs at least $20 million.
Enthusiasts who track individual cars estimate that as many as three dozen F1s are in the United States, and owners ship their cars to Mr Hines for service. While other brands, including Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, offer upkeep and repair services for vintage models, they serve a much larger constituency.
Reflective foil made of real gold is used to protect the bodywork from the engine's heat.
PHOTO: TONY CENICOLA/NYTIMES
Even among low-volume exotics, the F1 stands out. Engineered by Gordon Murray, a revered designer of championship-winning Formula One race cars, the F1 hits speeds of 386kmh.
It is still the fastest combustion-powered production model that does not use a turbocharger or supercharger. The power comes from a BMW V12 engine that delivers more than 600 horsepower.
To prevent the heat generated by that engine from damaging the bodywork above, a reflective foil – made of gold – lines the underside of the engine cover.
Built with a Formula One mindset, every detail of the F1 is optimised for performance, which is why it requires such extraordinary resources to look after it. Weight-saving measures are seen throughout; even the tool kit is titanium. Special tools like the gauges used to calibrate the fuel injection throttles were created expressly for this engine.
Among the attributes the F1 is known for, it may be the interior, three-seat arrangement that draws the most attention. Two passengers flank a driver who sits slightly forward, to afford a panoramic view like a single-seat race car. And despite its prodigious top speed, road models were originally designed with no wing at the rear. Aerodynamic downforce is generated by the flat underside and a rear diffuser.
The F1 driver sits in the middle, between the two passengers, and enjoys panoramic view of the road ahead.
PHOTO: TONY CENICOLA/NYTIMES
The car is largely free of the digital controls common in modern vehicles. There is no power assist for the steering or brakes, nor is there electronic traction control or anti-lock brakes. Those are intentional design choices that contribute to the car's reputation for delivering its driving experience. In the words of Mr Hines, who commutes in an electric vehicle but also has seat time on racetracks: 'You're connected to everything. There's not a lot of latency.'
Owners of low-volume models are accustomed to finding specialists who can attend to their vehicles, so it might seem like overkill that the F1 rates a dedicated service operation.
How can there possibly be a business case for an operation devoted to such a tiny population of customers? Mr Robert DiStanislao, the McLaren dealership's owner, is succinct about this: 'There is no business case.'
Why McLaren continues to support a model that is decades old and produced in small numbers has to do with keeping a heroic model on the road and engendering customer loyalty; F1 owners are also buyers of McLaren's new road cars.
In addition, it is a whispered message that the carmaker is on solid footing and here to stay, a status that has not always been assured among British luxury brands. In the words of Mr Hines, it is a matter of carrying the torch.
On a recent visit to Mr Hines' lair, there were four cars being tended to, including a blue road version F1 that belongs to Mr Daniel Heard, the retired chief executive of a Louisiana industrial supply company.
'My F1 was built in 1995,' Mr Heard, who also has a McLaren P1 and a 675LT, said in an interview in July. 'Thirty years later, limited-edition cars like that can become portfolio items that we wouldn't be able to drive. Having a factory-authorised shop to look after it becomes a do-or-die matter.'
Mr Heard's F1, which he said he drove about 2,400km a year , was in for its nine-month service, which included checks of ride height, corner weights and wheel alignment.
Detailed records are kept on each car that comes through the repair shop , starting as handwritten notes on a ruled pad that are transcribed and forwarded to McLaren Special Operations in Woking, which in turn feeds a program to compile documentation on the care and feeding of F1s. The coordination and information-sharing are key to assuring that the F1 fleet remains roadworthy, but the relationship extends much farther to the development of replacement parts to update the cars.
Upgrades made possible in recent years by the availability of improved components include brighter headlights, larger radiators and high downforce body panels. More involved programmes have brought revisions that counter the passage of years since the cars were new.
For instance, the magnesium wheels originally fitted to the cars are susceptible to ageing, so McLaren Special Operations developed forged aluminium wheels that are lighter and stronger. A set of aluminium wheels in the original 17-inch diameter is about US$45,000, and fitting them with new Michelin tyres costs roughly US$34,000.
An ambitious effort by special operations involved a two-year development process to replace the car's original fuel bladders – which would not tolerate today's ethanol-laced petrol – with an aluminium tank.
The job requires the removal of the mid-mounted engine and rear suspension and includes replacement of some 70 parts, including the fuel pumps and filters. It is a job that costs about US$75,000, and not work that a local shop can take on.
McLaren continues to introduce upgraded parts for the F1 decades after production has ended.
PHOTO: TONY CENICOLA/NYTIMES
Indeed, not even the Philadelphia shop can handle all services for the F1. Work like a full engine rebuild or a repair of the carbon-fibre chassis necessitates an air cargo ride to the Woking headquarters, south-west of London.
'It's not just a rare car or a fast car, but an engineering triumph by Gordon Murray and a masterclass in packaging,' Mr Hines said.
'The F1 is put together with nuts and bolts like any other car,' he added, downplaying the role of hardware as its secret sauce.
'It was designed to do tasks in a very specific way,' he said. The engineers 'wanted it put together in a certain way, and that's where the magic lies'. NYTIMES