I Finally Bought a McLaren F1 in Gran Turismo 7 and Here’s What I Did Next

I just looked at my GT7 dashboard and realized I’ve spent nearly 700 hours in the game since I first got my hands on it a few years ago. It’s no longer as exciting to me as the two new Assetto Corsa titles (EVO and Rally) have more to offer from a driving perspective.

But Gran Turismo 7 still has plenty of advantages, including how easy it is for me to just use the controlled pad instead of installing and removing the Logitech RS50 system every single time.

That won’t be a problem once I’ll have my own room and sim rig, which won’t happen for at least a few months. However, I will likely keep playing GT7 at least until Polyphony Digital makes the switch to GT8.

I still have some unfinished business in here, which includes buying and driving every vehicle available. After today, I’m one step closer to that objective.

That’s because I could finally raise 20 million credits, which is what you’ll need to pay for the McLaren F1 GTR. Before I show you what its first mission was, let me tell you a few things about the latest Weekly Challenges.

Jimny Cup

It wasn’t that long ago that we had another event in the Jimny Cup. I had a bad time driving my highly-tuned model with just under 300 hp on tap. I noticed a few other players reported a similar experience, and it might all be a result of all the physics tweaks Polyphony has done recently.

I promised myself I wouldn’t use that setup ever again, which is why I bought a brand-new Jimny for today’s three-lap race in Canada.

I figured 112 bhp would be enough, considering I also bought a weight-reduction package. The Castrol livery felt like a good match for the off-road adventure. Even though I almost fell asleep during the race because of how slow this car is, it was still a better experience compared to last time’s outing.

Scoring 52,500 credits after four minutes and 20 seconds, there was only one question on my mind: will we ever get another snow-covered track in GT7 before support for the game stops? At least I know a surprise like that is coming to Assetto Corsa Rally soon.

Special Event

I had just recently V12-swapped my Honda Step WGN for a few laps around Barcelona-Catalunya ahead of the

latest Time Trial

. With all the chassis upgrades and RS tires on, it was pretty good for its size.

I realizing using the same setup for this Special Event might be too much, but I also didn’t want to buy another car and start from scratch. Plus, I curious to see how fast I could go through Suzuka’s iconic 130R corner.

What I failed to realize was that this four-lap battle was about to occur around the East Course layout which is much shorter than the full course. I was in the lead just 45 seconds after the start, and found myself lapping everyone at the beginning of Lap 4.

I’d say this car feels a bit wobbly with all that power (and brakes), but I’d still an engine swap I’d recommend to a friend. You’re looking at a 45,000-credits payout after three and a half minutes of racing, by the way.

European Clubman Cup 600

The European Clubman Cup 600 isn’t just about cars built in Europe: it also takes us over to the fictional Dragon Trail-Seaside Reverse track for four laps. I thought about using my tuned

F355 for the job, but it was way over the suggested 600 PP limit.

I was keen to get back into a Porsche, and my stock 997 GT3 was just waiting for it to happen. Well, I increased the horsepower output and reduced the overall weight before the race, and then found a stunning recreation of what might be the only 997 GT3 RS 4.0 finished in Aston Martin specific color.

Thank God window shopping doesn’t cost a cent. I needed almost three minutes to take the lead, and finished the race four and a half minutes later.

After scoring 75,000 credits for the deed, I noticed my fastest lap in this car was almost half a second quicker than the world record for the recent Lexus RC F Time Trial at the same track.

Evolution Meeting

Ever since living with RWD cars, I’ve began losing interest in Mitsubishi Lancer EVOs and Subaru Impreza WRX STIs. I’d still want one for some snow fun, but I would much rather drive an FR platform anywhere else.

This Evolution Meeting event is set for Monza, where you’ll compete against 11 other opponents over four laps. I brought an Evo IX to the job, tuned to 511 bhp and weighing just 2,440 lbs (1,107 kg).

There are two pages of time-attack-themed liveries to choose from, and I didn’t want to keep running my old Cyber EVO setup. Hitting 180 mph (290 kph) before Turn 1 felt great; having to lift off the throttle in the first right-hander after the chicane because of serious understeer did not.

Am I the only one who thinks Sugo should have been on the menu this week too? Anyway, the whole event took me just under eight minutes, and I was happy to walk away with 105,000 credits thanks to the Clean Race Bonus.

World Touring Car 900

Interlagos is longer than Sugo, yes, but I still think the latest track in the game could have been the right spot for this World Touring Car 900 event. Imagine running it for 15 or 16 laps total! Since I recently unlocked a 2008 Honda NSX GT500, I wanted to use it for this final Weekly Challenge.

At 796 PP, it’s certainly not the fastest Group 2 car in the game. And it looks simply stunning with the Spoon livery, doesn’t it? I found myself in a strange situation two or three laps in: a driver hit the wall right in front of me, we got a yellow flag, and I couldn’t slow down in time to avoid a three-second penalty.

I pitted for fuel and new tires after eight laps, only to discover I had forgotten to buy the grippiest compound available. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t close the gap to the leader and finished 20 seconds behind him.

You still score 102,000 credits for a result like that, plus the 500K bonus for getting a podium in all five events. But it’s now bugging me so much that I just need to go at it again.

McLaren F1 Race Car & Nürburgring Nordschleife

I had to sell four of my top-tier cars to afford the McLaren F1 GTR. I didn’t care much about the Ford Mark IV Race Car or the Corvette Racer Concept, but letting go of the Jaguar XJ13 wasn’t easy. I can also grab another Ferrari 499P fairly easily, so that wasn’t a big problem either.

I did refrain from selling the Ferrari F40 and the Mercedes CLK-LM, though! I can’t believe it took me so long to buy my first 20 million credits car in GT7. I’m almost certain it used to cost half as much a few years ago, but I’ll have to dig through the archives to get a clear answer.

With 600 bhp on tap and weighing just 2,315 lbs (1,050 kg), this is technically a Group 3 race car. The Harrods livery is still my go-to option for it, and it kind of fits the Green Hell if you think about it. It’s quite a beast out there, although it could benefit from more aero. I couldn’t go flat out through the Flugplatz and even crashed while trying to.

I only needed four minutes to reach the Karussell, and 6:44 for the complete lap—that’s eight seconds slower than what I achieved in my tuned 911 GT1. I’m sure switching to a turbocharged setup is an easy fix for that.