It doesn’t get much more classic than a British sports car in dark green over tan. The combination looks just right on most any Jaguar, Aston Martin, Bentley, or Morgan. But a McLaren Senna?
Most of the fortunate owners we’ve seen so far have gone for more eye-catching treatments. And we can hardly blame them, racy as the car looks as it is. But this fella apparently has a taste for the classic. His name is Phil, and looking at his hypercar, we have to say we think he made the right call. Or at least a more tasteful one, at any rate.
Instead of the classic British Racing Green – or any of the colors McLaren offers in its standard or MSO catalogs – Phil opted for Oak Green Metallic. It’s the color which Ferdinand Porsche was known to have painted his own cars, but it looks about as at-home on the Senna as it does on an old 911 or 356. The interior is also a deeper, almost orangish shade of tan than you might see on an old Jag or Aston. But that’s just the start when it comes to the individual choices Phil made for his hypercar.
He also opted for plenty of matte carbon trim, had the creators behind McLaren’s Tooned animated series draw him a special kiwi-bird logo, grab straps installed in the doors to make it easier to close after cinching the harness tight for track work, and the accelerator pedal inscribed with the words Never Lift. “It’s a downforce car,” says Phil, wryly. “If you lift, you’ll probably die.”
He’s right, of course, though he may be exaggerating just a smidge. The Senna does rely heavily on the downforce produced by its rather eye-catching aero kit – not least of all that giant rear wing. But as close as it may seem to a race car for the road, we doubt McLaren actually put out anything quite that finicky. At least not for public consumption and use on the street.
In any event, we’re glad to see a guy with a sense of humor as evidently robust as Phil’s getting his hands on such a capable performance machine, because we get the feeling he’ll enjoy his as much as it was meant to be enjoyed.