What is the one car Lewis Hamilton CAN'T buy?

To celebrate the British wonderkid�s 24th birthday, Vijay Pattni looks at Lewis Hamilton�s dream motor�

�Records don�t mean a huge amount to me.

�I love racing. I love getting in the car and winning championships�.

Lewis Hamilton is a focused young man. His sensational start to his debut Formula 1 season in 2007 ended in heartbreak when he narrowly missed winning the driver�s championship�by a single point.

Determined not to make the same mistake again, Lewis scored a number of decisive victories this year, including a superman-inspired drive at Silverstone at the British Grand Prix, to keep him in the title contention.

But � as with all British sporting heroes � the journey to the very top was fraught with sheer heart-in-the-mouth drama.

On the last race at Interlagos in Brazil, Hamilton just needed to finish fifth or higher to secure his points victory, and for much of the race he commanded a reassured fifth spot.

In the last few laps disaster struck, and Hamilton was overtaken � but on the very last corner of the race, after a significant downpour, Hamilton squeezed past Timo Glock and etched his name into the history books as the world�s youngest ever F1 champion.

But the only thing on this Hertfordshire boy�s mind � quite aside from his family and glamorous Pussycat Dolls girlfriend � was the thought of a very special machine indeed.

�I want to win this car. I want to get this car off Ron�.

Three�is the magic number

And �this car� is none other than a special edition million-pound McLaren F1 LM racer. One of the world�s fastest, rarest and most sought-after supercars.

Hamilton�s McLaren boss, Ron Dennis, has promised to gift the multi-million pound supercar to Lewis if he wins THREE world championships�something Lewis has set his mind to.

�I will definitely work as hard as I can to get to number three�, the young motoring maestro proclaimed.

�We made a deal�, Hamilton said, �three world championships.

View images of Lewis Hamilton's DREAM motor...

�It�s a car I�ve always wanted. I got a car book; a nice book for Christmas years ago when I was about 10. It had the orange McLaren F1 LM on the front, and that was my dream car then.�

But Hamilton�s dream just got even better once he signed to McLaren.

�I went to the factory and saw it, and ever since I�ve gazed at it every time I�ve walked past it�, he said.

But don�t think Lewis is just some young �thundercat� who wants what money obviously cannot buy � he really loves this particular McLaren F1 LM.

�Still today�, Lewis explains, �it�s the only car I ever really stop by apart from Ayrton Senna�s 1989 car. I stop by it and I always open it up and just smell it � carbon, fresh, new.�

Quite. But apart from navigating his nostrils around the McLaren, this particular car holds even more value � it is number one out of just FIVE built.

Give it to me

Not that Ron Dennis really minds giving it up.

�This particular car is the rarest of the F1s � it�s an LM�, he explains.

�At least I don�t have to give it away for a couple of years, but it will be a small price to pay for three world championships.�

Small price?

A McLaren F1 recently sold for £2.53 million at a London auction earlier this year � alongside Poole-based customiser Andy Saunders� crazy car collection.

So what�s so good about the McLaren F1?

We asked a man who knows about cars � former racing driver and Fifth Gear presenter Tiff Needell.

Speaking to us, Tiff said: �The McLaren F1 supercar is still the one car I�d really love, even over the Bugatti Veyron. Given the choice, I�d still have the McLaren F1.

�The Veyron is a magnificent piece of machinery but hasn�t quite got the soul. In the McLaren you�re totally in control with no traction control and no paddle shift gearbox � it�s a proper car for proper drivers.�

And that is exactly what McLaren F1 chief engineer Gordon Murray wanted � to create the world�s best driving experience.

�If you wanna be a record breaker��

Oh, and while they were at it, they also made the McLaren F1 the world�s fastest car � a record which stood for just over 10 years with a top speed of 240.1mph, before beaten by the Koenigsegg CCR.

The McLaren achieved this phenomenal speed thanks to its BMW-sourced bespoke 6.1-litre V12 engine producing 627bhp, which accelerated the single-seat supercar from 0-60mph in just 3.2 seconds.

The F1 also featured gold, titanium, carbon fibre and magnesium in its construction � including gold foil to act as a heat shield for the engine.

And the �gold-plated� Sultan of Brunei (see below) was ensnared by the speed and charm of the F1 � he�s reportedly got EIGHT. And the fuel economy is unlikely to bother one of the world�s richest men either, with an average of SIX mpg.

Want one today? You�ll be lucky to find any on the market, but if you do, get ready to sell an organ, rob a bank, or win three F1 world championships for McLaren.

See? Simple really.