The McLaren MP4/4 '88 is a race car produced by McLaren. It first appeared in Gran Turismo 7, where it was added as part of Update 1.20.
In the 1988 Formula One season, the MP4/4 was driven by Alain Prost (#11) and Ayrton Senna (#12, also the MP4/4 represented in-game). The car dominated the whole season by winning 15 out of 16 races (Senna achieved 8 victories, while Prost won 7 races). Senna would later achieve his first driver's championship, while McLaren won their fourth constructor's championship.
In-game description[]
"This legendary machine marked the end of the turbocharged era in Formula 1."
Many motorsports historians consider the McLaren MP4/4 as the most successful race cars ever built. This machine, designed by Gordon Murray and Steve Nichols and powered by the Honda RA168E engine, dominated the 1988 Formula 1 World Championship season, winning all but one race (15 out of 16 races) and taking all but one pole position.
Much of the credit was attributed to the Honda engine that effectively balanced fuel consumption and raw power, but the chassis was also superior to the rest of the field. Another big factor was the driving team of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, who helped score McLaren-Honda a then-record 199 points in the Constructors Championship. Senna took the drivers' title that year although Prost scored more points. The reason was that only the eleven best results counted, and Senna had more first-place finishes than Prost (eight to seven).
Legend Cars (GT7)[]
The McLaren MP4/4 Honda is a legendary F1 machine that was virtually unbeatable in the 1988 F1 Championships. The chassis developed by Gordon Murray, the renowned F1 designer... Was powered by the RA168E turbocharged Honda V6 engine. 1988 was a year in which the regulations for F1 engines changed greatly... With strict restrictions on turbo boost pressures and the amount of fuel that could be used during a race. But Honda's turbocharged engine utilized advanced electronic control technology, providing both power and fuel economy. And the drivers were two of the very best in their game: Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. With two legendary drivers of the F1 world behind the wheel, the MP4/4 won an incredible 15 out of 16 races in 1988. The number 12 MP4/4 is the car that Ayrton Senna drove. In 1988, Senna won the driver champion title with 13 pole positions and 8 wins.
Café (GT7)[]
Jeremy[]
In 1983, after a 15-year break, Honda returned to F1 racing. For the next 10 years, until it retired again in 1992, it literally dominated the race track. In '84, a year after its comeback, a Honda-Williams machine claimed a victory at the American Grand Prix. The driver of that car was none other than Keke Rosberg, winner of the 1982 F1 Drivers' Championship. Man, did he look super cool when it came time for him to ascend the podium. In any event, the successor of Honda-Williams' graceful win was this McLaren MP4/4. McLaren began powering their machines with Honda engines in 1988... And with drivers Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, drove them straight for the championship. The man responsible for designing the MP4/4 was F1 genius Gordon Murray. In addition to having a low centre of gravity, the McLaren MP4/4 was equipped with a 1.5L Honda RA168E. This turbo engine normally ran at 685 horsepower, but could be boosted to a max. of 1500 horsepower! Apparently, the car had trouble with fuel economy—But Honda's brilliant engineers were up to the task. Indeed, they managed to produce the best F1 engine of the day. McLaren's F1 results for the 1988 season are nothing short of astounding. To start, they won 15 of 16 races that year! They also claimed 15 pole positions, ten 1-2 finishes, and ten fastest laps. And lastly, with 199 constructors' points, they finished 139 points ahead of their second-place rival! When it came to drivers' points, Prost had 87 and Senna had 90, clinching him his first Drivers' title. This historic win for Senna took place at the Suzuka Circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix. Such a glorious win was it that I hear Soichiro Honda remarked, "If only every day could be this great!"
Acquisition[]
| Game | Purchase location | Credits | Other methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Turismo 7 (  v1.20+) |
Legend Cars | 12,000,000[1] | Complete the Master S-License with all Golds. |
Trivia[]
- An unlicensed version of the car was previously featured in the Japanese and American versions of Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec under the F688/S name. The car is also present in the European version of the game, but with various alterations on the car's body (most notably on the wings) and was renamed Polyphony002.
- This is one of seven licensed Formula 1 cars in the series, the others being the Ferrari F10, the F2007, the Lotus 97T, the Mercedes W08, the Honda RA272, and the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R.
- It is also the first licensed F1 car to allow custom liveries; however the tire stickers cannot be changed.
- Additionally, in the Livery Editor, removing the decals when prompted will not remove the base livery, likewise with the Nissan GT-R GT500 '99, the Ford GT Race Car '18, the Nissan Skyline Super Silhouette Group 5 '84, the Volkswagen ID. R '19, and the Honda NSX GT500 '00. The base livery which appears when the decals are removed is different from the regular livery however, with sharper chevrons.
- It is also the first licensed F1 car to allow custom liveries; however the tire stickers cannot be changed.
- In addition to custom liveries, GT Auto also sells some parts for the sidepods and rear diffuser that matches configurations used at different real-life races.
- Ayrton Senna's 1988 driver suit was previously featured in Gran Turismo 6, despite the MP4/4 not appearing. However, driving the MP4/4 in GT7 will not force the player to drive that suit.
- The suit, however, can be recreated using the Livery Editor.
- Prior to the car's release, McLaren have two listed licensing credits, one of which mentions Ayrton Senna Empreendimentos Ltda (his licensing estate) in the game's intellectual property notices, on top of the regular McLaren license credit. This licensing credit is also used for any licensed appearance of the McLaren Senna supercar.[2]
- Due to international tobacco advertising laws, the Marlboro decals were removed from the in-game car.
- Despite this, museum photos, such as that of the McLaren MP4/2 in Porsche's museum kept the Marlboro logos. This is similar to how the Silk Cut decals were removed from the Jaguar XJR-9 '88 alongside the Rothmans logos from the Porsche 962 C '88.
- At Cr. 12,000,000 (Cr. 8,000,000 at launch), this car is currently the second most expensive car added in a GT7 update, after the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R '55.