McLaren’s ‘States of Endurance’ Road Trip Across America
The road trip spanned 3,867 miles across eight U.S. states, celebrating 30 years since the brand’s 1995 Le Mans victory…
McLaren’s “States of Endurance” road trip featured three McLaren supercars driving across eight U.S. states and 3,867 miles of open road as part of celebrations marking the 30-year legacy of the brand’s victory at Le Mans in 1995 and more. The drive was undertaken by McLaren Pro and Trophy racing drivers Paul Rees, Jack Barlow and Oliver Webb at the wheels of multiple award-winning McLaren 750S coupe & Spider and the McLaren Artura Spider. The trip included “Pit Stop” visits at events held in collaboration with McLaren retailers spanning the West to East Coast route.
The States of Endurance cars—in liveries representing the dawn, day and night phases of a 24-hour race—are a showcase of how racing DNA and the endurance mindset consolidate in lightweight supercars that can deliver both a thrilling track performance and driving experience, company officials stated in a press release. The route was plotted to bring the cars directly to the McLaren community and clients, as well as to eclipse the distance typically driven by cars competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Beginning of the McLaren Journey & the Pit Stops Along the Way
The journey began in Monterey, California, at the North American debut of Project: Endurance at Monterey Car Week. Pit Stops included events in Newport Beach, Scottsdale, Dallas, Atlanta, Orlando and Miami, which was the final stop of the road trip. Each event offered supercar enthusiasts and motorsports fans the opportunity to engage with the cars and drivers, while owner convoys joined parts of the journey, noted the release.
The events also provided a chance to experience the legacy and future of McLaren in endurance racing, with displays of the 750S Le Mans, which marks three decades since the victory, and the Project: Endurance car, which represents the customer car program associated with McLaren’s re-entry into endurance racing’s top class from 2027 onward.
Endurance Racing: The Ultimate Test
Endurance racing is the ultimate test of resilience in the racing world. Justin Bell, who drove a McLaren F1 GTR in the 1995 race, was one of several people who met with the States of Endurance drivers along the route. Others ranged from ranchers, astronauts and world-record-holding athletes, each one with their own story of what endurance means to them.
“Endurance racing represents McLaren’s tenacity, and the States of Endurance journey is a perfect intersection of our endurance heritage with the cutting-edge engineering, technologies and uncompromising standards that make our supercars capable of experiences that still resonate with the driver long after the journey ends,” said Henrik Wilhelmsmeyer, chief commercial officer, McLaren Automotive. “We have brought our community of passionate fans and clients together to experience the thrill and resilience that defines McLaren, while our States of Endurance drivers have discovered for themselves how endurance can transcend beyond the track, to be feeling; a mindset to live by.”
The new McLaren W1, McLaren’s next “1” car and the successor to the McLaren F1 and McLaren P1TM, is close to completing its own States of Endurance test and validation program.
