Daniel Ricciardo led the charge to a McLaren 1-2 finish at the Italian Grand Prix two weeks ago, effectively ending McLaren’s nine-year race win drought (and three for Ricciardo himself).
For us regular F1 fans, we were just happy to see the Honey Badger do the shooey again as he finally steps back up onto the top step of the podium. But for Australians, Ricciardo’s win is pretty much a matter of national pride – so much so that McLaren Australia has unveiled a special “Daniel Ricciardo Edition” McLaren 720S to celebrate the occasion.
Limited to just three units only and exclusive to Daniel Ricciardo’s home country Australia, the bespoke McLaren Special Operations (MSO) creation wears the iconic Papaya Spark Orange on the outside, contrasted by Burton Blue accents all around – just like McLaren’s F1 cars.
Since it’s a Daniel Ricciardo special edition model, it also of course features the Honey Badger’s race number (and design) on the side, and there’s even an Australian flag embedded on the doors.
McLaren also recently brought back the iconic Gulf livery onto the 720S! Check it out here.
Inside, the special edition 720S model gets matching orange accents on the seats and dashboard, but aside from mild aesthetic tweaks, the rest of interior is pretty much left as-is from the regular McLaren 720S.
Also unchanged is the powertrain behind the driver’s compartment – a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 serving up the namesake 720 hp and 770 Nm of torque, with power sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. 0-100 km/h takes just 2.8 seconds, onward to a top speed of 341 km/h.
“Daniel Ricciardo’s relentless determination and pursuit of excellence are qualities that perfectly reflect the McLaren ethos,” said McLaren Automotive commercial executive director, George Biggs.
“Following McLaren’s outstanding performance with a landmark one-two finish for the team at the Italian Grand Prix, it’s the perfect time to reveal this limited series in celebration of the Aussie driver,” he added.
“The 720S is a fitting model to celebrate Daniel’s achievements and we’re delighted to see it adorned with the Australian flag crafted by MSO.”
No pricing has been announced for the McLaren 720S Daniel Ricciardo Edition just yet, but seeing that it’s a three-unit-only limited edition model, chances are it won’t be cheap – the base 720S already starts north of RM1 million, and that’s before duties and taxes.
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