Beauty Is In the Eye of The Beholder with This McLaren M81
Long before McLaren made hypercars, they made the M81. A hot version of Ford’s turbocharged 2.3-liter Mustang Cobra.
Filling the shoes of the outgoing Mustang II may have been a bit difficult for the folks at Ford. They knew they had a hot seller, with numbers to back it up. The enthusiasts weren’t as pleased though. It had lost much of the “pony car” nature of the first run of Mustangs. With the introduction of the new Mustang looming, Ford took a gamble on a new engine, and with a brief partnership with McLaren. We feel they won.
Ford’s Fox Body had the 5.0 V8 as its top level engine, but the Cobra sat just below that with a turbo 4-cylinder. McLaren’s familiarity with turbo 4 cylinders was fresh in everyone’s minds with a successful IndyCar streak. But the world of road cars and race cars were polar opposites. Emissions equipment choked the stock engine to 131 horsepower. McLaren’s magic touch got an additional 44 horsepower out of the engine. But it was still only good enough for a 0-60 time of around 9 seconds.
McLaren modifications for the M81 extend beyond the engine bay, with flared wheel arches, a unique hood, and valances front and rear. It is far from the most elegant and beautiful car in the world, but it is very striking. Inside was a bolt in roll cage approved for racing, along with unique gauges and high bolster bucket seats. As well, a dash plaque designating the build number. The Drive reports that just 10 were made, with this one being #4. With low performance and a high cost, the program was shuttered. That means this is one of the more rare mustangs in existence.
Interestingly, this car is completely separate from the much more popular ASC McLaren Mustang. As well, the SVO was an operation completely removed from this McLaren according to Hagerty. What it did do though was pave the way for the SVO being respected as a high performance machine. With emissions being the bane of most engines, no one was laughing at turbochargers and their ability to save the day. With the M81 McLaren Mustang, it seems like history is repeating itself. We’ll be watching lot #771 as it crosses the block at Barrett Jackson’s Scottsdale auction January 14 through 19.
Photos: Barrett Jackson
Join the Mustang Source Forums now!
