Handing out the Bula stamp of approval, one post at a time!

Before I begin, I just want to say that although I do post pictures of automotive-related photos and videos that belong to other people, I find it refreshing to be able to write about my own shots and contributions for once. I will make sure that I make great use of my time this break, even if work tends to fill up all of my free time.

Earlier this week, Ro_Ja and I decided to go to the new McLaren San Francisco automotive dealership here in Palo Alto. From the outside of the dealership, we could see the McLaren F1, one of their Formula 1 cars and the new MP4-12C. Ro_Ja pulled into the parking lot, we grabbed out cameras, and headed towards the entrance of the dealership. As we walked on, we were immediately greeted by the dealership’s futuristic and clean appearance, racing gear provided by Vodafone, and a warm air of “I feel so out of place here.”

A salesman was talking with a mother and his son, and as Ro_Ja and I were perusing cars inside the dealership, we could overhear the back and forth conversation between the salesman and the mother and son. Ro_Ja and I looked at each other and wondered if they were going to make a purchase. The son looked to be in his teen years and we were hoping that the MP4-12C they were looking over was not going to be owned by him. After 5 more minutes of them talking, they left and the salesman greeted us. We spoke with him about the cars and showed our praise for McLaren’s racing heritage. We kindly asked if he would allow us to take pictures in the dealership and he did not mind at all, which was surprising. He said many people tend to just waltz right in and start taking pictures, so we weren’t exactly the the first to ask. He jokingly said that other people just take pictures from the outside and never bother to come in, making he and the other staff feel like fish in a fishbowl with the public just gawking at them and the cars on display. The salesmen left us to walk across to the Fisker dealership, and Ro_Ja and I went to work.

During our little photography “session” I asked another salesman if he could move the belt barrier pole blocking the front and rear Formula 1 car on display. As he moved around, he told us that it was the second place champion of some race back in 1998. I forgot the name of it, so bear with me. He also said that McLaren insured it for £50,000,000 GBP ($77,150,000 USD)! McLaren takes their technology very seriously, it seems.

In the middle of the conversation, Ro_Ja talked about the Top Gear review of the MP4-12C. I’m sure many of you recall that Jeremy talked about how McLaren doesn’t know how to have fun. As a reference, go to 7:40 :

The saleman immediately scoffed at the mere mention of the review, stating that McLaren did not like what Jeremy said one bit and added, “you’re not supposed to turn off the traction control in the first place!” Clearly, we struck a nerve with him. Ro_Ja and I finished our conversation with the salesman and continued shooting. After about another 15 minutes, we wrapped up the session and headed home.

Here are my best shots from the day. All of them are taken directly from my Flickr account.

Starting off, I have the Formula 1 car:

Next is the MP4-12C, starting from the chassis that McLaren likes to show off.

Engine shot:

Side of the chassis:

Last, but certainly not least, the McLaren F1. The grandaddy of them all was worth $970,000 USD back in 1993. This car belongs to the owner of the dealership.

Overall, it was a pretty good day. I found it surprisingly that the salesmen were accommodating to us and actually talked to us. I assumed that because we were not potential buyers, we’d be ignored. However, I was wrong and Ro_Ja and had an enjoyable experience.