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The one and only: McLaren builds X-1 Concept for anonymous client



<time pubdate="" datetime="2012-08-17T17:10:00+00:00" title="August 17, 2012 5:10 PM">August 17, 2012</time> <cite>By Amir Iliaifar </cite>



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British supercar maker McLaren has arrived at this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in style, and showing off its mysterious X-1 Concept.
The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has just kicked off in Monterey, California and that means some of the planet’s most exotic and luxurious vehicles are about to make their presence felt around the world famous golf course. Generally speaking, there isn’t a car in attendance that isn’t a rare treat. Your veritable Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Bugattis are just a sampling of some of the vehicles on display. So how do you go about standing out in a sea of beautiful? Well, you up the ante of course, which is what McLaren has done with its ultra-exclusive X-1 Concept.
Now when we say “ultra-exclusive,” we mean it. McLaren has built just one of these bad boys, and reminiscent of some Hollywood spy flick, it’s being created for a mysterious and anonymous client who, according to McLaren, is already in possession of some rare and wonderful sets of wheels.
“One of our clients who already owned a McLaren F1, a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and now a 12C, wanted a unique car. The conversation began with our Executive Chairman Ron Dennis almost three years ago − before the 12C was even launched. The client wanted a machine that had all the capability of the 12C but wrapped in a unique body that reflected his needs and personality,” said McLaren Special Operations Program Director Paul MacKenzie in a statement.
Unique is right. While we have yet to get a glimpse of the X-1 in person, from what we can gather from these pictures, it’s certainly like nothing we have ever seen before. According to Design Director Frank Stephenson, inspiration was mined from a wide range of vehicles like the 1961 Facel Vega, 1953 Chrysler D’Elegance Ghia, 1959 Buick Electra, 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K and 1971 Citroën SM.
In addition to being extremely rare, the X-1 Concept is said to sport some of the most advanced materials currently utilized in top-end performance vehicles. McLaren has never been reluctant to outfit its vehicles with a healthy helping of carbon fiber and the X-1 is no different. Here, the impressive concept makes use of the same carbon MonoCell that underpins the breathtaking MP4-12C.
As you can see from the images, the majority of the car has been given a classic piano-black paint job, with a few panels left untouched so as to show off the carbon fiber’s natural detail. Contrasting the bespoke vehicles paintwork is a striking interior finished in Harissa Red Nappa leather.
But don’t take our word for it; be sure to check out the photo gallery above.