The main engineer for the McLaren MP4 was John Barnard. The chassis itself was built by McLaren using carbon supplied by American firm Hercules Aerospace on the advice of McLaren engineer and former Hercules apprentice Steve Nichols and quickly revolutionised car design in Formula One with new levels of rigidity and driver protection and its Carbon-Fibre-Composite (CFC) construction, a first in Formula One. Within months the design had been copied by many of McLaren's rivals.
In 1982, with drivers John Watson and Niki Lauda the updated MP4-1B nearly brought Watson to the World Championship, but he finished third behind Keke Rosberg and Didier Pironi, with 39 points. Taking 4 wins, 2 with Watson, and 2 with Lauda however, it did take second in the Constructors' Championship, collecting 69 points.
This Model has a removable engine cover as a component, revealing the detailed interior of the car.
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