McLaren in the tradition of classically beautiful special bodies
In the 1930s to 1950s, rich people liked to have individual cars built on a chassis of their choice. This resulted in works of art on wheels created by the world's leading coachbuilders, such as Figoni et Falaschi, Saoutchik, Erdmann & Rossi, Touring Superleggera, Graber and Antem, to name just a few examples. These companies all went under when self-supporting bodies demanded new production methods and individual bodies became expensive or even impossible.
But even in the 21st century, wealthy car collectors have special requests and so even today, special bodies are created from time to time. One example of this is the McLaren X-1 Concept, built by a division of the sports car manufacturer McLaren and based on the MP4-12C.
The owner apparently had the car built according to his very own wishes, revealing his preference for fine vintage cars, special watches, unusual architecture and the eggplant, the surface of which had taken a liking to him.
It took McLaren around 18 months to build the one-off, which is reminiscent of the 1930s, and was designed by Hong Yeo.
Many retro elements, such as the covered rear wheels, alternate with modern surfaces made of carbon fiber, while aluminum trim contrasts with red nappa leather in the interior.
The appearance of the McLaren X-1 Concept is reminiscent of the Delahaye artworks of the 20th century, although these were of course not "retro" but forward-looking and futuristic.
