The secretive shop that keeps McLaren's rare F1 on the road

Of the many amenities Mr. Kevin Hines was grateful for when his workplace relocated earlier in 2025 — spacious tool cabinets, gleaming epoxy-coated floors, a powerful extractor system for exhaust fumes — it was the simple presence of windows that he particularly appreciated.

- Norman Mayersohn

PHILADELPHIA —

While abundant natural light may seem a basic requirement for a car repair shop, the previous location was windowless.

There are good reasons to limit transparency at this specialized business, which is dedicated to servicing a single model from a single carmaker: the McLaren F1, produced in England from 1992 to 1998.

Assuring privacy and security for the owners of these groundbreaking supercars, which typically trade at eight-figure prices, is non-negotiable. The shop in Philadelphia, operated by the McLaren Philadelphia dealership, keeps its address closely held.

Mr. Hines' previous workplace was a curtained-off area of a service facility, where he tended to everything from periodic maintenance — McLaren's guidelines calls for service at nine- and 18-month intervals — to precision repairs to factory-developed upgrades.

That work continues at the new shop, where each visit may have the car staying for weeks.