Lanzante 95-59

I watched a lifetime’s worth of F1 at Lanzante

The photo is for illustrative purposes only.

Among McLaren enthusiasts, there is a dealership that can now be called one of the “holy places”: McLaren Petersfield, also known as “Lanzante.”

Lanzante is an indispensable presence for McLaren’s VIP customers, as it is virtually the only company in the world that can perfectly handle the intensive maintenance of McLaren’s “special vehicles” and historic special machines, including F1 road cars.

I have visited the factory several times and am always amazed by the large number of F1s being maintained there. Among them was a row of road cars, including the F1 GTR, which is their masterpiece. I feel like I’ve seen enough F1s at Lanzante to last me a lifetime. An insider even joked, “We’re the only authorized dealer in the world that doesn’t display and sell McLaren series models in the showroom.”

Now recognized as a world-class

Anyone familiar with the Goodwood FoS (Festival of Speed) will be well aware of their extensive experience and high level of technical expertise. In recent years, they have released the road version of the McLaren P1 GTR, the “LM” (an official project with McLaren), and the “P1 Spider.” Furthermore, born out of their bond with Ron Dennis, they have developed and sold the Porsche 930 TAG Turbo (a 930 Turbo equipped with an engine actually used in F1), and their momentum shows no signs of slowing down. And it’s not just McLaren. They’re now recognized as a world leader in the maintenance, restoration, and race support of classic and vintage racing cars.

As previously reported on this site, Lanzante announced a limited edition car based on the McLaren 750S called the “95-59” at this year’s Goodwood FoS . I attended a sneak preview before the FoS announcement and got to see the car in person, and its beautifully cohesive design left me with the impression that this was yet another legitimately evolved McLaren.

Experience learned from heavy maintenance

That’s because the design of this “new car” was created by Paul Hause, a former McLaren designer who was in charge of the P1. At the time, Frank Stephens and Paul were the big two of the McLaren design team, and the basic styling of the P1 was apparently Paul’s idea.

This was combined with Lanzante’s extensive experience. They have been involved in the maintenance of F1s, P1s, Speedtails, and other cars at a world-class level, both in terms of quantity and quality. Some of these repairs must have been quite extensive. I believe the experience they gained from these repairs made the idea of converting the 750S’s innovative monocage into a center-seater +2 possible. In particular, the knowledge gained from heavy maintenance on the Speedtail, another center-seater, was undoubtedly of great help.

A special supercar that was destined to be released

When did Lanzante become a “special presence” for McLaren? The secret is hidden in the name of the new car that was announced. 95-59, 95 is the number of the year that McLaren F1 won the Le Mans 24 Hours, and 59 is a number that is familiar to us Japanese. That’s right, the Lanzante Racing Team was the “mastermind” that led number 59 to victory in 1995.

This is where the rise of Lanzante, led by Paul and his son Dean, began. Therefore, the 95-59, a limited edition of 59 cars that pays homage to the F1 GTR and commemorates the 30th anniversary of the victory, is a special supercar that was destined to be released by Lanzante.

Incidentally, Lanzante’s symbol is the Hindu god Ganesha (a four-armed elephant), who is considered the god of new business and commerce. It was Paul Harrison of the Beatles who advised Paul to use Ganesha as the mascot.