After two full days of Goodwood, Amanda McLaren’s husband Stephen Donnell takes the New Zealand guests on a guided tour of the McLaren Technology Centre.
The centre itself is a marvel, surrounded by man-made reservoirs containing 50,000 cubic metres of water, pumped through a series of heat exchangers to cool the building and dissipate heat from the enormous wind tunnels.
More importantly, the corridors (known as 'streets' internally) house a selection of McLaren’s greatest hits from the 1960’s right through to modern day.
The 80m walk down memory lane features icons such as the F1 GTR and Ayrton Senna’s MP4/4. To see one of these cars up close in your lifetime is special; to see dozens all at once is a one-in-a-million shot.
The Kiwi VIPs are also treated to a tour of the production line, as well as McLaren Special Operations (MSO) where McLaren builds bespoke combinations for its growing customer base.
Following all the unique experiences at Goodwood and McLaren’s headquarters, the owners enjoyed a fine dining experience with special McLaren guest, Ian Digman, the brand’s global Head of Product Management.
Ian is across not just the current models but everything McLaren will be releasing up to 2025. He spoke enthusiastically about the marque’s future direction and exactly what secret technology their supercars will feature in the next five years.
To say the trip was one of a lifetime is to do it a disservice. If you’re a McLaren fanatic and customer, it’s certainly something that will stay with you. Luke and the team at Auckland McLaren are privileged to have such great attendance from local customers.
Words by Steve VermeulenÂ
Photos by Logan West