Gold plated titanium Facom spanners for Mclaren F1

[Dodo]

Mclaren Automotive says:

"Not satisfied with the weight of traditional bolts, we used some unusual sizes on the #McLarenF1, which meant that we needed a unique toolkit.

The weight saving didn't stop there: we made the spanners from titanium and then plated them with gold for longevity... "

Is that cool or show-off? What do you think?

 

[Wiggum]

In before someone claims 6 point is better....

 

[nine4gmc]

pretty sweeet

 

[turbowoodworker]

Are these for sale? I need a second set for my second F-1.

 

[spv]

Lets hope that these Facom spanners are not made in Taiwan like some of their line.

 

[shockwave]

Pretty cool as they considered weight in every aspect of the f1 even the engine bay is laced with gold as it is the best conductor of electricity even the cd player is half the weight of most radios of its time still one of my favorite cars ever I believe it still holds the record for fastest production street legal car (without forced induction) pretty impressive as it has a modified BMW 850csi motor as its power plant

 

[Bullitt427]

Interesting considering gold is soft.

Josh

 

[Buckgnarly]

Pure show off, Ti does not need Gold to "preserve" it.

 

[rshadd]

gold for longevity?

 

[ZRX61]

I've held them

 

[racingtadpole]

Are they are truly Au plated then one must declare that Ron Dennis has finally gone completely senile....

 

[Buckgnarly]

Are they are truly Au plated then one must declare that Ron Dennis has finally gone completely senile....

It says gold, not Australians!!!

 

[rshadd]

I'm holding out for the platinum plated ones. The gold looks gaudy.

 

[BlindViper]

Pretty cool as they considered weight in every aspect of the f1 even the engine bay is laced with gold as it is the best conductor of electricity even the cd player is half the weight of most radios of its time still one of my favorite cars ever I believe it still holds the record for fastest production street legal car (without forced induction) pretty impressive as it has a modified BMW 850csi motor as its power plant

The gold foil was to radiate heat. Not sure about if the record still stands but when someone brings it up I always make sure to mention that in 1993 it took its place and it stood until 2005 that is what counts.

 

[91bronc300]

Pretty cool as they considered weight in every aspect of the f1 even the engine bay is laced with gold as it is the best conductor of electricity even the cd player is half the weight of most radios of its time still one of my favorite cars ever I believe it still holds the record for fastest production street legal car (without forced induction) pretty impressive as it has a modified BMW 850csi motor as its power plant

Gold is a very good conductor of electricity but not the best. Silver is the best elemental conductor. They use gold in electronics because it doesn't tarnish.

 

[03protege]

This is a marketing tool at best, Jay Leno is probably the only owner of the McLaren F1 that actually wants to work on it.

 

[Altec]

" unusual sizes..." Yeah, I see 10mm. Really thinking outside the box!

 

[helterskelter]

Titanium is a little soft for hand tools.

 

[bigcaddy]

Gold plated Ti? Kinda gaudy if you ask me. If think brushed Ti would of looked better but then again, will the owner of the McLaren ever been seen on the side of the road using said hand tools? Will they even know they are in the toolkit, let alone how to use them?

If accessories were the deciding factor, i would much rather have an Aston-Martin Rapide with the James Bond-esque crystal martini and chess set in the trunk


Those F1's are pretty cool cars though. I saw one driving in the Silicon Valley years ago, maybe 1999 or so. I almost crashed checking that thing out.

 

[toolstools]

Last i knew if you bought a mclaren you got free parts and a mechanic they fly to your house, or maybe that was just for the 5 mclaren f1 lms they made

 

[bigcaddy]

Last i knew if you bought a mclaren you got free parts and a mechanic they fly to your house, or maybe that was just for the 5 mclaren f1 lms they made

Sounds reasonable. My friends dad bought a Ford GT 40 and had to deal with the recall on the suspension control arms. Ford sent out mechanics with the parts and replaced them on the spot.

I guess when you plunk down a considerable chunk of change for a car, they tend to take better care of you when **** goes wrong.

 

[Dodo]

If I'm not mistaken, in the case of Mclaren F1, they toolbox had a modem that connects to the factory in Woking from where they could diagnose the problem and send a mechanic to wherever the car is (since they didn't have a dealer network) at the customer's expense.

 

[expatriated]

It would make a good set for the truck.

 

[bart1]

Gold plated Ti? Kinda gaudy if you ask me. If think brushed Ti would of looked better ...

Like these?

http://www.ultimategarage.com/shop/part.php?cPath=35_283&products_id=1373

 

[wait4me]

FYI Gold is a good electrical conductor, but not a super great one. It is bested by silver and common copper. Gold plating is only used on connections due to its resistance to corrosion.

 

[Ctodd]

I have a few of these of anyone is interested?

 

[Gmonkee]

For general use alloy steel is the best material fo hand tools.

The compromise of weight, cost, durability and a few other factors is very good.
Titanium and hard alloy alu wrenches tend to get brittle and the surfaces will wear a little faster in regular use.
Some I seen had steel surfaces cast into the alu for wear considerations.

My paltry three stainless wrenches for food service came cheap. Two cracked and one shows a lot of deforming. But they are dishwasher safe and can be sterilized. In some areas that is critical.
They are just an expensive wear item to that process.

The gold plating is all flash, if you can afford the car why not all the proper accessories?

 

[chrismenke]

More on McLaren maintenance from a former owner. Worth a watch:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...dcb6BQ&usg=AFQjCNGfkynxVr9ujRZrxUfp3DoCs0JQ6g