Michael Satterfield
TGR Staff – 08/04/2021
McLaren Special Operations has unveiled a bespoke Speedtail commissioned by McLaren Beverly Hills, and they have named it Albert. This car is one of the final vehicles in the 106-car Speedtail production run and an homage to the first Speedtail testing vehicle from 2018. The unusual name comes from the 1992 McLaren F1 test mules, which were named after the Albert Drive facility where the F1 was designed and built, in Woking, England. The original MVY02 Speedtail prototype vehicle was dubbed ‘Albert’ as a respectful tribute to its three-seat predecessor.
The original Albert prototype vehicle was developed to validate the concept of the Speedtail’s central seat driving position, testing driver ergonomics and visibility and rear-view camera positions. Originally built with the front panels from a 720S, the Albert prototype was the first Speedtail to be driven on public roads. The paintwork on the new Albert is designed to look like the original vinyl wrap camouflage that was used on the original prototype.
The colors selected for the ‘Albert’ homage are Magnesium Silver, the color that the F1 road car was first shown in at the 1992 Monaco Grand Prix, and Ueno Grey, the color of the F1 GTR that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995.
The new Albert was built in the McLaren Production Center with a 1K gloss visual carbon fiber body. Due to the incredibly complex and detailed nature of the paintwork design, the McLaren team completed test panels first to understand process feasibility and worked alongside the visualizer team to refine renders. In total, Albert would require a 12-week post-build modification to reach completion; this included two week’s masking, six week’s painting, and the remaining time to dry and reassemble the vehicle after spraying.
Referring to large-scale print-outs of the renders, the livery masking was completed by two specialist paint technicians. This had to be completed on the built car, with wheels fitted, to ensure accurate cross-panel alignment of the design as it flows around the vehicle. In total, the masking of the livery required almost two kilometers of fine line-out tape to complete the initial design layout.
The six-week painting process required the car to be disassembled to ensure complete accuracy and flawless finish. The paint blend effect was located on the door applique’s outer body panels with the front painted in Ueno Grey and the rear in Magnesium Silver. After the first paint application, all body panels were treated and refitted to ensure perfect alignment, and only after this the final clear coat was applied.
Based on the form of a teardrop, the most aerodynamically efficient shape found in nature, the Speedtail is the apotheosis of the streamlined hypercar, a three-seat Hyper-GT that became the third car in McLaren’s Ultimate Series line-up. With its 1,070-horsepower hybrid powertrain, the Speedtail covers 112 meters per second when traveling at its top speed of 250mph/402kph, making it the fastest McLaren road car to date.
The Albert Speedtail will make its public debut at Sunset GT, a luxury cars and coffee event hosted by O’Gara Beverly Hills, which takes place on Sunday 8th August 2021 in Sunset Plaza, Los Angeles, USA.
