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A car that sort of passed me by in the excitement of the Scalextric launch in January was the McLaren F1 road car in Papaya orange paintwork and the tiny 'XP1 LM' decal just forward of the rear wheel arches...

   

Ignoring the completely wrong box at the Margate unveiling, the car is now available - the box inscribed with the rather less incorrect 'McLaren F1 GTR'. The actual car the Scalextric model is based on is very special indeed - the original prototype (XP1) of the five production road cars with the F1 LM designation, built to mark the 1995 Le Mans 24 hour victory of the F1 GTR (five of the six McLarens entered finished the race).

The Le Mans-winning F1 GTR was derived from the McLaren F1 road car - at the time, the fastest road car in the world. The six F1 LMs were also based on the F1, but with modifications - including a very basic interior and high-downforce aero upgrades - very similar to the race cars. The V12 BMW engine was race-spec and without intake restrictions, delivering 680 horsepower, as opposed to the 627 of the standard F1 road car.  Here's a video where Tiff Needell takes an F1 LM for a spin...



The five production F1 LMs were snapped up - a pair of black-painted cars bought by the Sultan of Brunei - with two more standard F1s subsequently upgraded by McLaren to LM specifications. One of the modified F1s sold for $19.8 million last year. The prototype - XP1 LM - was kept by McLaren. According to sources inside McLaren, Lewis Hamilton brokered a deal with Ron Dennis back in 2007 that if he won the 2008 drivers' title and the team won the constructors' championship, he'd be given XP1 LM as a bonus. Another story is that he was promised it if he won three drivers' championships with McLaren.

In case Dennis tried to pass off a modified F1, Hamilton is said to have marked XP1 so he could tell for sure he had the right car. No-one at McLaren has ever been able to find that mark. Although Hamilton won the 2008 F1 title, McLaren missed out. Neither did Hamilton win three championships at McLaren. Either way, XP1 LM remains on display at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking. If the car is ever put up for sale, Hamilton would certainly have the cash to buy it - and would know for sure he'd be buying the authentic XP1.

   

The Scalextric McLaren F1 GTR is a lovely looking model, certainly the most accurate F1 slot car produced to date. It's a decent performer on track too. The F1 LM road car model has a couple of small differences to the race version - although the bodywork of the real car is nearer to the race car than the standard F1. Inside there is a 'civilian' driver with no crash helmet or overalls. On the outside, the bonnet is the flat version, without lights and the air intake above the windscreen is more pronounced. Looking at lots of pictures of the XP1 LM and other F1 LMs, I do think Scalextric have overdone the intake. The race car has a small slit, whereas the opening is larger on the LM - but not as big as on the Scalextric model. It should also be more recessed into the roof. It is a small criticism, but having gone to the lengths of modifying the body part, it could have been perfect.

The C4102 McLaren F1 GTR Papaya Orange is available now for £40.99 RRP in the UK. It can be ordered online from you favourite Scalextric retailers, including Pendle Slot Racing, MRE and Jadlam Toys & Models.