McLaren honours Daniel Ricciardo with special supercar

Wealthy Australian fans can park something exotic in their garage to celebrate the success of one of the country’s best drivers.

McLaren has developed a special 720S in tribute to Daniel Ricciardo.

McLaren has paid tribute to Daniel Ricciardo’s breakthrough victory in the Italian Grand Prix with a limited-edition supercar set to be sold in Australia.

Ricciardo led teammate Lando Norris home in a historic 1-2 for the team at Monza, taking its first victory since Lewis Hamilton left the squad to join Mercedes.

Ricciardo celebrated his first race win for McLaren with a champagne-filled “shoey”. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Ricciardo’s victory represented McLaren’s best day on track for more than a decade.

So it’s not surprising to see the brand release a special car in his honour.

Based on the McLaren 720S coupe, a carbon fibre machine powered by a 529kW twin-turbo V8, the Daniel Ricciardo Edition benefits from a handful of touches by McLaren’s Special Operations division.

McLaren has developed a special 720S in tribute to Daniel Ricciardo.

The cars are finished in the same “Papaya spark” orange as McLaren’s Grand Prix machines, with Burton blue highlights just like the open-wheeled racer.

An Australian flag features on their flanks, along with Ricciardo’s racing number.

There are cosmetic similarities between the F1 car and road car. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Carbon fibre sills autographed by the Aussie racer join a special build plaque in the cabin.

Just three examples are coming to Australian soil, each likely to cost more than the 720S’ regular price of about $600,000 drive-away.

Ricciardo said driving supercars such as the 720S was “one of the great privileges of driving for McLaren”, describing the 720S as “the absolute benchmark”.

The 720S has blue and orange features, along with Ricciardo’s number and an Aussie flag.

George Biggs, commercial executive director for McLaren, said “the 720S is a fitting model to celebrate Daniel’s achievements and we’re delighted to see it adorned with the Australian flag crafted by MSO”.

The car’s cabin has carbon fibre, Alcantara and a clever folding digital dashboard.

“Following McLaren’s outstanding performance with a landmark one-two finish for the team at the Italian Grand Prix, it’s the perfect time to reveal this limited series in celebration of the Aussie driver.”

Originally published as McLaren honours Daniel Ricciardo with special supercar