Is DaimlerChrysler taking over McLaren?
Rumors surfaced in the German press Tuesday that minority shareholder DaimlerChrysler is close to buying the remaining 60 percent of McLaren F1 and McLaren Automotive that it does not yet own. DaimlerChrysler currently owns 40 percent, with the remaining 60 percent split equally between managing director Ron Dennis, and Saudi investor Mansour Ojjeh. The Mercedes stake in McLaren was valued at $400 million in 1999 when the automaker became part-owner.
If it happens, the deal would see DaimlerChrysler/Mercedes-Benz joining Renault, BMW, Honda, Toyota and Ferrari in having controlling interest in their respective Formula 1 teams.
The deal could also make sense if Mercedes plans to increase McLaren's road car production in future, whether for new versions of the SLR, or for a less expensive supercar to compete with the likes of the Ferrari F430.
[Sources: Reuters, GrandPrix.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Stphane Dumas 7:35PM (8/15/2006)
It could be interesting to see a limited Dodge Viper or Challenger McLaren edition but it's only a pipe-dream or wishful thinking for now.
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???? 10:28PM (8/15/2006)
It is great, I fully support.
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Bob-o 10:49PM (8/15/2006)
What the hell is DaimlerChrysler blowing cash on this for? To make more small market cars that costs billions to develop don't sell?
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mike 11:56AM (8/16/2006)
This might be good news for D/C - from a marketing point of view - but I believe this is bad news for F1!
McLaren's Ron Denis has been in F1 for so long because he loves this sport! When manufacturers own F1 teams, they are in it only for as long as it makes economical and marketing sense - with the exception of Ferrari. It's not about F1, but rather how can F1 further advance their brand!
We've seen it time and time again how manufactures enter F1 for a few years (5-10) and then pull out when either they are not performing well, loosing too much money down the F1 sinkhole, or simply the board of directors are deciding to pull out for a while. Almost all the big manufacturers have been in and out of F1. What kept F1 going over the years were constant presence of independently owned teams like McLaren and Williams, which partnered with various manufacturers.
Now, with the yearly increased cost of running an F1 team, I can understand the difficulty that independent teams find themselves in. That's why there aren't many left. I guess the good old days of F1 are long over!
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dt 5:11PM (8/16/2006)
Agree with mike, F1 needs the independents. To make things worse, the mfrs mostly just buy up independents -- Benetton, Sauber, BAR. Of the recent mfr entries, I think only Toyota is brand new. (Perhaps the exception that proves the rule is Stewart -> Jaguar -> Red Bull) Ferrari is at heart an independent: Ferrari started by managing Alfas, then racing his own cars, then finally building road cars to help the racing program. Without the racing effort, they'd just be another "supercar" like Lamborghini.
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