McLaren rank among the most successful Formula 1 teams but they have also suffered dry spells. One of the worst came in the late 1970s when the team struggled to come to grips with 'ground effect' aerodynamics following a highly successful run that brought World Championships for Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt just a few years earlier. The first McLaren to embrace the principles pioneered by Lotus was the Cosworth DFV-powered M28. Boasting a novel honeycomb monocoque chassis and massive side-pods/tunnels, it explored the ground effect to the maximum. Unfortunately this compromised other aspects of the design to the extend that the car ultimately did not work very well. After a promising third place debut, the M28 was continuously revised and eventually retired before the end of the 1979 season. Considering the very sturdy chassis, it is no surprise that all three have survived. Our feature car was owned by McLaren until 2009 and has since been completely restored and raced in historic events. This weekend it will be offered by Silverstone Auctions in their annual Silverstone Classic auction. The pre-sale estimate is a very reasonable GBP 200,000 - 220,000.
One of the few new cars announced this month is this Aspid introduced in 2008. Powered by a BMW-sourced V8, it is claimed to be the first 2+2 with a semi open wheeler body. It tips the scales at just under a metric ton and with 444 bhp on tap should be very quick. IFR Automotive promise that both cars will be in production within two years.
Featuring even more impressive performance figures is the Rimac Concept_One. Built in Croatia, this compact sports car is powered by four electric motors that produce a combined 1,088 bhp. This power is distributed to all four wheels through smart electric differentials. The company nevertheless promises a range of close to 600 km on a full charge. Priced at over $1 million, the delivery of the first of 88 Concept_Ones slated for production is expected in 2013.

Enjoy the links:

2012 Aspid GT-21 Invictus - Images, Specifications and Information

1979 McLaren M28 Cosworth - Images, Specifications and Information

2012 Rimac Concept_One - Images, Specifications and Information