Walter Röhrl tests the McLaren F1!

[Music] Hello and welcome to the Alte Schule!! Nice to have you there again. I landed in beautiful Sankt Engelmar in the Bavarian Forest and who lives there? Of course... Walter, hello, hello! Goodbye! Thank you for taking your time. Today we want to talk a little bit about the Carriera GT. This is a development that you also said is probably one of the greatest cars that you have ever been able to help develop for Porsche. I also had Michael Hölscher on my podcast, who was the project manager at the time. I think Roland Kussmaul has a lot of work worked on it because at first I think the car didn't run that well, yes, the beginning was a bit bumpy, so it wasn't that easy because they allowed a few young engineers to work on the project and then it was quite difficult that the car was mechanical I got grip until I pulled the ripcord again after maybe half a year here and I say if no other people come , it won't work, but then things really went up, I have to say and of course I was there from the first minute I always say that's a bit of my baby, the car I helped develop all the models at Porsche but none as intensively as this car and of course it was new territory mid-engine, 612 hp, no electronic helpers, so that was it - there were tires too, of course not that far back then. Well, we've already done a lot of things, but in the end it became the car for me that I'll probably dream about for the rest of my life. I think that's why there was that very famous flight by Wendelin Wiedeking, which at some point really took off The table was broken and Roland Kussmaul had to fly with him in a private jet and I think he was a bit worried at first because he had to leave other projects behind, but then the dream team was back together again. It was the first board comparison trip in Papenburg and there were all of them Engineers there, board members, Drr Wiedeking and then I just said I would recommend that experienced engineers come to the project like Roland and then in the evening when he flew back, Dr. Wiedeking, Roland had to get on the plane with him straight away and then he told him that he practically had to take on this project now! Of course Roland was a bit... he says, "Oh, I have so much work, I don't know where my head is anyway...", but of course he threw himself into it with full energy and it went from there really steep uphill. And there the dream team was complete again, Roalnd and you. Tell me, now that you just said 'comparison trips', you always take role models like that; Of course the 959 was Porsche's first super sports car. Did you look for other role models? Yes, I don't think there was anything comparable - the Ferrari F50 was the only car we got back then. We always had it with us, of course we also wanted to have other cars, for example the McLaren F1, but that never happened because every time we were supposed to get it, someone broke it beforehand and so we never got around to it and I never had the opportunity Driving a car or even looking at it up close. Yes, but not now after that? You know so many collectors, someone opens the garage every now and then - I don't know if there are that many of this car. In any case, I've never seen it live. OK, I've never seen him in the photos or live. yes, look what we have here! That is unbelievable! What a coincidence, right? I don't even know who parked it here. It's a holiday today! That I see the car live. A huge surprise. You really haven't seen it yet, but the BMW Group Classic, who are incredibly cooperative. By the way, this is the original Pischetsrieder car, which wasn't quite the same back then... where it ran out of talent, as you always say, and with the car it probably happens very quickly. It is a car that can be driven in a completely analogue way: H gearshift, no driving aids at all, 630 hp, in the rear, no weight, around 1050 kg. You have to imagine that the car weighs another 300 kg is lighter, Porsche again. Inconceivably! Yes, that is really incredible! Yes you, I saw the key is there! Ah okay, all clear! What do you think about it when you go for a ride? That's not bad! So, should I try it? It's dry so let's go! Will you take me with you for a while? Of course I'll take you with me! Oh, Walter... drive for a quarter of an hour or so. Yes, that's where I always drive. 24km. Okay [Music] [Music] [Music] I also think you have a really good feeling in here, no jumping, no nothing. no, he's doing well! It absorbs the short waves really well [Music] Walter, now we want to take a little break after the shock. What is your first conclusion? Yes, this is still a real car without a servo without electronics, so it takes a bit of time to decide whether it's braking, whether it's changing gears , whether it's steering. Of course, it reminds me a bit of the vintage cars and you can already tell that, although the car's engine performance is of course absolutely up to date, but the operating staff are the same as they used to be, where there was no server support available. With the Carrera GT, I think you definitely have power steering, of course you couldn't expect that from the Porsche customer and a servo-assisted brake too and so you had to be a little more considerate, this one is probably more uncompromising. Yes, the clutch is heavier than this. Clutching is easier here on the BMW as it is on the Carrera GT and you just have to get used to the fact that you are sitting very far forward, that you can see the road 3 meters in front of the car, which somehow gives the feeling that you have nothing in front of you when you get in. I'm sure once I've driven for two hours it'll be forgotten but at first you think 'uh oh, there's nothing in front of me if there is anything'. It seems to me like being in a VW Bus T2, where you have nothing in front of you. Nice comparison! Probably no one has compared it yet. But otherwise, everything else, if you drive normally, also the noise is completely comfortable, not loud, quiet as far as the engine is concerned, there is a bit of a jerk between idling and overrun and accelerating. But you will do that with a car with x number of pieces, you know how many have been built... It's been done over and over again for weeks with series cars that it's very soft, but you don't drive the car at walking pace, you always drive fast and then does it fit! Unfortunately we are not on a race track now. If you miss that again, would you like to do it again? Yes, certainly to give a serious assessment you have to go to the racetrack. You can't do that on the road in a car, especially when you hear the values ​​of how the car runs, how fast it goes and how it accelerates to 200 in under 10, well under 10 seconds. You can't try it on the road, but you get the impression that it's a racing car in terms of power, but that it has a certain level of comfort when it comes to driving. Yes, I was actually surprised. I mean, I'm just sitting next to it, but it's quieter inside than you'd think, so it's really a really well-encapsulated cabin, you sit comfortably somehow, the middle seating position is of course a blast! Yes, the middle seating position takes a bit of getting used to, with two people sitting on the left and right, which is of course brilliant, that you can take three people with you in a supercar, that's unique, no. That's great, yes, and these are the things that 30 years ago, the way cars were made, there were already visionaries who did it. Gord Murray was a Formula 1 designer at McLaren and Ron Dennis was of course financially behind it. Now , if you had been able to drive it back then, when you were developing the Carrera GT, which was actually the initial idea; Would you have changed anything or would you have said, man, the McLaren does it this way and that, we have to think about it again? Yes, that might have been an option if I was driving fast on the race track. Of course it would have been interesting to see what the car did when you reached the limit. Does it suddenly break? It's a little soft in front of you? Those were things like that, the way we did the car was new territory for us. But okay, it had to work without it, we had a Ferrari F50 as a benchmark car at the time, but in principle it was exactly the opposite: the steering was incredibly aggressive and immediately hit a snag from the zero position, with this car you have that Zero position, you can just do that and nothing will happen. Which is perhaps a good thing, because if you're driving your car at 350 km/h and you do it like that, you turn off on the motorway, it's quite good that the zero position is a bit of a reserve so that it doesn't immediately become bitchy. Do we want to go for another ride? I would say that we drive again, one lap on the normal road, to get a bit of feeling again, accelerate, change gear and so on, so far I've never gotten further than third gear. Okay, then let's load it up here again! Understood! cheers cheers This is the “Pieschetsrieder memorial round”! It didn't work out that way for him... [Music] It always works... it lags a bit and the steering is of course extremely difficult. Maybe if you forget that you can dose it, I don't think it's that easy. Walter, what a ride, right? So we drove on your home route, 24 km, two laps, I really liked that ! The car is still a bit cold, the license plate at the back has already melted off. How was it for you? Yes, it was a great experience, I have to say! You know, it's a naturally aspirated engine again, 12-cylinder, it's an experience how the car hangs on the gas, how it works! We must not forget that the car is 30 years old - what that meant back then! The performance of the car is... everyone said it 's like a Formula 1! This car has a very comfortable suspension setup, which impressed me! And in terms of driving, of course, you just have to get used to it again. You sit very far in front, you see the road, you always think that you have nothing in front of you, but that works wonderfully and you still have to, you just notice the mass at the back is, you have to be very sensitive with the steering wheel and you need feeling. Now I understand why 30 years ago, when we wanted the car, we never got around to driving it! It's so easy to destroy your car ! yes yes, you noticed too, right? So you have to have a bit of knowledge about driving and know where the limits are. So for an inexperienced person it's easy to drive, but you should n't accelerate. That's a good conclusion! When it came to the tires, we briefly wondered what kind of manufacturer they were. It's probably not that easy to get something for the car. No global company like Pirelli, Dunlop or Michelin makes 17 inches . At 380 km/h! Think about the effort Bugatti goes to so that you can drive 400; with an extra key with... But this one does it easily, he shakes it from his wrist! I don't know, I haven't looked yet - I hope they aren't Chinese tires! And it could be that that's a bit of the reason: I have the feeling that when I drive from one curve to the other, I think the tire falls over a little bit. yeah okay okay so. And that could be true, it's already pretty warm, I've only just reached it. But it was a great, emotional experience for me that I was allowed to drive the car! 20 years ago I was really crazy about it and it didn't work. I didn't think it was possible that I would get around to it again . Thanks to BMW for getting this valuable piece out and I'm very, very impressed and very happy that I got to experience it. I also have to say, it's fascinating for me and I also said, I can actually quit my job now because when the car was presented I thought it was the greatest car, and it's always been with me ever since and I think so That's always the only car I really dream about at night; It's unbelievable and Walter drove that with you - I mean, what more could come, right? So I'm going to stop working now , it's just over! By the way, I said while driving, He can just accelerate if we drive ourselves to death now, says the obituary "next to Walter Röhrl in a McLaren F1! People are still jealous that you died like that. Thanks to BMW! [Music] Information, pictures and everything worth knowing under the Internet address www.alte-schule-podcast.de [Music]