Image courtesy of www.24h-lemans.com

This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans marks the 30th anniversary of McLaren’s first – and to date, only – victory at the iconic Circuit de la Sarthe. Earlier this year, McLaren confirmed plans to return to top-tier endurance racing in 2027 with a purpose-built Le Mans Hypercar, but for now, we look back on the extraordinary events of 1995.

With the benefit of hindsight, McLaren’s triumph seems even more improbable – and more impressive – than it did at the time. Consider just a few facts:

1. It was McLaren’s first-ever attempt at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

2. The winning car, the F1 GTR, was a production-based machine – not a purpose-built Le Mans prototype like many of its rivals

3. The car itself was McLaren’s first prototype, loaned to Lanzante Motorsport but entered under the banner of Kokusai Kaihatsu Racing

4. The result? A car that was essentially a privateer entry beat the factory-backed giants

5. It was the first Le Mans victory for both a Finnish driver (JJ Lehto) and a Japanese driver (Masanori Sekiya)

6. McLaren F1 GTRs finished an incredible 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th, a show of dominance that few saw coming

The road-going McLaren F1 remains widely regarded as one of the greatest supercars – if not the greatest – of all time. Part of its enduring legend is owed to the racing version’s success in 1995, where performance, reliability, and strategy combined to produce one of the most famous Le Mans wins in history.

Unsurprisingly, this iconic moment has inspired a number of model manufacturers to produce tributes in 1:18 scale. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of McLaren’s Le Mans win, let’s take a closer look at the models that pay homage to this unforgettable achievement.

Model Brand	Image
Minichamps 530133559
UT Models 39520
Spark 18LM95
TrueScale Miniatures (TSM) TSM131805
Solido S1804106

Something Special

For the well-heeled collector, renowned high-end model maker Amalgam has the perfect offering. For the price of a brand-new Toyota Corolla, you can own the next best thing to the real race car: a 1:8 scale model with opening parts and incredible detail.