McLaren 750S JC96 celebrates the F1’s racing success in Japan
A year after the F1 won Le Mans, it took the All-Japan Grand Touring Championship by storm too. This new 750S celebrates that achievement
McLaren is wheeling out the HDK kit it recently debuted on the 750S Le Mans special edition on another celebratory model. Meet the 750S JC96… No? One for the McLaren faithful over in Japan, as it’s McLaren’s first Japan-only special with just 61 to be made.
JC96 is a celebration of the McLaren F1 GTR’s participation in the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship. It takes specific inspiration from the #61 LARK-liveried Team Goh car with which David Brabham and John Nielsen won the 1996 driver’s championship. Just four examples of the 61 will be offered in the full ‘JC96 tribute livery’, which is hand-painted by MSO and inspired by the original scheme which blended a tarmac grey base with the distinctive rocket pink hue.
Other cars will be available with just detail touches, with the front splitter, rear wing endplates and door mirror castings available in either memphis red, titanium silver, ice white or graphite grey. The other cars will also get F1 Gold brake calipers with a red McLaren logo, JC96 branding, gloss black detailing and chrome badges.
In addition to the HDK kit, which features a more aggressive but still active rear wing and revised front bumper, the JC96 cars also get ultra-lightweight ‘Delta’ 15-spoke forged alloy wheels inspired by those seen on the later longtail F1 GTRs. The prominent 750S exhaust stands out even more here too, being finished in natural titanium as a nod to the old F1. There are no performance upgrades to the 750S for the JC96 special edition, not that it needs them…
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On the inside there are three variations of full alcantara trim available, each with unique F1-inspired features. There’s an F1-inspired gold pedal set, bespoke gold drive select switches and a gold plaque. There’ll be plenty of JC96 badging too, on the headrests and armrests.
The JGTC is a curious and often under-discussed part of the McLaren F1’s history, given it was essentially a second-life series for the F1. F1 GTR Longtails competed in the series as late as 2003, many years after retiring from contemporary European endurance racing. We don’t often see JGTC-specific cars on display or in action in Europe, even at the likes of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. With most of the cars remaining in Japan, getting them here is quite the logistical and financial commitment.
As much as McLaren is wont to celebrate its past achievements, these specials apart from anything else demonstrate to would-be McLaren customers exactly the lengths MSO can go to in terms of customisation. Even if you don’t want a ‘Le Mans’ or a ‘JC96’ (you can’t have the latter in the UK anyway), the full personalisation powers of MSO are clear to see and at your disposal if you have the cash.
