Every single one of the 106 Speedtails was set to be unique, such was McLaren's desire to show off its customisation possibilities on its most expensive car. Last thing you'd want having spent all that money on such an exclusive model is to see another one in the same colour - heaven forbid. Inevitably, however, some have received a little more attention than others, this being is one of them...
Commissioned by McLaren Beverly Hills, this is the 'Albert' Speedtail, so called because it was inspired by the first Speedtail prototype driven on public roads, also named Albert. It was also a moniker employed for the early F1 mules as well, because Albert Drive in Woking was where that car was designed and built. It's a nice link, therefore, between McLaren's pair of three-seaters.
It took McLaren Special Operations 12 weeks post-build to create a Speedtail that looks like this. The colours are Magnesium Grey (matching the first F1 road car) and Ueno Grey, as per the 1995 Le Mans winner. They're brought together to evoke the camo wrap seen on that 2018 prototype, and that isn't a quick process. Panels had to be tested "to understand process feasibility" and extensive rendering was undertaken to ensure it would be just right. A total of six weeks was spent just painting, with a fortnight accounted for by masking and the rest spent allowing it all to dry and putting the bits back together again. So if ever respraying wheels seems a palaver, spare a thought for the Albert team assembling this.
Ansar Ali, MD of MSO, said: "The Speedtail experience has been an exciting journey for our customers, from visualising their imaginations to realising these inspirations and sharing their delight when unveiling the finished product. 'Albert' brings this project to a conclusion and we are thrilled to finish on a high note." The Speedtail will make a public debut at Sunset GT this Sunday, which is a fancy 'cars and coffee' in LA. So if you think it looks good in these studio pics, imagine it in the Californian sunshine...
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