History
Work on the project, originally known as the Paragon Technology Centre, started in 1999 and about 4,000 construction workers were involved in what the Financial Times said " claimed to be the biggest privately funded construction project in Europe." In February 2000, DaimlerChrysler purchased 40 percent of the McLaren Group and McLaren subsequently announced it would build the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren at the new facility.
Dennis explained one of his rationales for the project in 2000: "Put a man in a dark room, he's hot, it smells bad, versus a guy in a cool room, well-lit, smells nice... When you throw a decision at those two individuals, who's going to be better equipped to effect good judgment and take a good decision?"
McLaren employees started using the facility in May 2003. McLaren has not disclosed the project's cost, but BBC News has suggested a figure of GB£300m.
A second facility, the McLaren Production Centre has been built opposite the building in 2011, it serves as the production site of McLaren Automotive's road cars, including the MP4-12C.
Read more about this topic: McLaren Technology Centre
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