“Well, I’ve never had this before,” says McLaren ambassador Kris. He is Autosport’s guide for an afternoon at the McLaren Technology Centre and just as he clears his throat to introduce the MP4/13 from 1998 in all its monochrome glory, Mika Hakkinen unexpectedly wanders into earshot. No pressure, then, to remember that the Finn standing only five yards away won eight grands prix aboard this car to lead a drivers’ and constructors’ Formula 1 championship double…
Kris doesn’t miss a beat before Hakkinen steps into one of several cylindrical glass lifts, as conceived by ex-McLaren boss Ron Dennis and the MTC’s pre-eminent architect Norman Foster to mimic the pistons of an engine rising and falling. As it climbs, our guide notes that you won’t see any dangling wires since Dennis also specified the lifts operate hydraulically to banish anything that might be taken for mess or clutter.
These 60 seconds from our three-hour visit perfectly captures the MTC in bitesize form. Opened in May 2004, it remains a pristine, state-of-the-art facility that truly merits every one of the countless comparisons to a James Bond villain’s lair. Yet, it’s anything but sterile and soulless, as motorsport history oozes from every chassis and trophy on display along the famous boulevard.
Remarkably, this is all something that members of the public can now experience as well. Despite the secrecy that shrouds F1 design and the development of the latest McLaren Automotive road cars, the MTC is opening its sliding door to fans. This comes courtesy of leading online travel booking platform GetYourGuide, as part of its ‘Originals by GetYourGuide’ collection.
GetYourGuide has been offering travel experiences for the last 14 years, providing over 75,000 experiences for in excess of 80million users from more than 150 countries. The company exists to create trips and visits that aren’t everyday experiences. It enables privileged access; hence you can book onto a private tour of the Sistine Chapel rather than join the usual queue round the block. Likewise, the App Store and Google Play app allows you to reserve a space for an after-hours tour, including a private organ performance at Barcelona’s breath-taking La Sagrada Familia.
Source: Autosport