P'art of the day: McLaren F1 Engine Cover

Todays p'art puts neither form nor function first achieving both simultaneously. When it was released the McLaren F1 was an exercise in superlatives, retaining the titles of the fastest, most accelerative and powerful production car for over a decade.

The design brief was that each component had to be made of the best materials available for the application. This brief was followed to an almost obsessive level by the engineers under the guidance of the prodigious Gordon Murray.

To this end when it was realised that the carbonfibre monocoque chassis would suffer from extreme heat soak due to the inboard exhaust system (see above) a suitable heat dissipater had to be found. In keeping with the brief the chosen material was the best heat reflector known to man, 24 carat gold.

In all, 25g of pure gold foil were used to line the engine bay. The McLaren F1 was one of the quintessential icons of engineering integrity without pandering to the accounting department, the likes of which may never be seen again.