STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
McLaren Automotive will showcase its newest luxury high-performance supercar—the McLaren 750S—at the Sun Valley Tour de Force.
The supercar will take its place at the sixth annual Sun Valley Tour de Force Car Show from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 21, at Sun Valley’s Festival Meadows. And Stefan Johansson, Swedish racing driver who drove in Formula One for McLaren, will drive it Saturday, July 22, during the Sun Valley Tour de Force’s No Speed Limit drive on a closed highway north of Ketchum.
Johansson says that McLaren always made the driver feel like they were the most important person in the world.
“Everything was laid out for you, every little detail was taken care of, which was so refreshing,” he said. “When you went there for a seat fitting, they had a room with a driver's suit in every size, and racing shoes in every size, and you just put your gear on and everything was prepared and ready to go.”
This year’s Sun Valley Tour de Force—named the most unique car event in the country--will run Thursday through Saturday, July 2022. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Hunger Coalition, which serves Wood River Valley residents dealing with food insecurity.
The lineup;
- FRIDAY, 5-8 p.m. Sun Valley Tour de Force Car Show featuring high-performance super cars and classic cars at Festival Meadows on Sun Valley Rad. The free show will feature local collectibles and Sun Valley Tour de Force T-shirts, hats and memorabilia available for purchase. Retired Swedish racing driver Stefan Johansson will meet fans at the McLaren tent from 5 to 6 p.m.
- SATURDAY—High-speed event where drivers push their cars to their maximum safe speeds on 3.2 miles of state highway at Phantom Hill. The fastest speed on record is a Bugatti Chiron, which achieved 253.01 miles per hour. Sun Valley Tour de Force is not permitted to sell spectator tickets for the event. and no parking will be allowed on the highway between the Wood River Campground and Cathedral Pines. The public may, however walk or bicycle up the Harriman Trail and watch the event from a safe distance.
Additionally, drivers will drive their Porsches, Bugattis, BMWs and other sports cars up and over Galena Summit in what’s called a Huckleberry Drive on Thursday And they will take part in a Cars & Comedy live auction dinner and fundraiser Saturday night.
In 2022 Sun Valley Tour de Force raised $600,000 for The Hunger Coalition, more than double its 2021 donation of $175,000. The event has raised nearly $800,000 for The Hunger Coalition during the past three years, the money being used to serve 500 families each week through its food pantry.
“While there are many worthy nonprofits in Blaine County doing great work, we believe that funding programs solving the systemic issues that lead to food insecurity is most urgent in our community,” said Dave Stone, a member of the Intrepid Events, Inc. board of directors and owner of Sun Valley Auto Club.
“The money raised will go a long way in building long-term solutions that will help more folks in our community thrive," said Krista Felton, director of Philanthropy for The Hunger Coalition.
Roger Ormisher, vice president of Communications for McLaren, said McLaren is fortunate to have found a “gem of a supercar weekend that replicates all that McLaren stands for—fun, family and community.”
“And the best bit, it is all in aid of charity,” he added.
The McLaren 750S that will be shown is defines a new benchmark for supercar performance. The lightest and most powerful series-production, the new V8-engine rear wheel drive is available in coupe and convertible form. It’s capable of going from zero to 60 miles per hour in 2.7 seconds and from zero to 124 miles per hour in 7.2 seconds.