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The McLaren MP4/4 is the greatest car in the history of grand prix racing.

Driven by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost over the course of the 1988 Formula One season, the first Honda-powered McLaren, designed by Steve Nichols and Gordon Murray, secured 15 wins and pole positions in 16 races.

It was behind the wheel of the MP4/4 that Senna delivered arguably the greatest lap in F1 history in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, where the Brazilian set a time almost 1.5 seconds faster than his team-mate in the same machinery.

Indeed, the MP4/4 is credited as the car that truly kickstarted one of the most intense, iconic rivalries in sport, as Senna and Prost, as a consequence of McLaren's performance advantage, battled head-to-head for the championship for the first time, with the former ultimately coming out on top.

With a 1.6 litre V6 turbo engine, the RA168E, the car would often produce more than 700 bhp, according to McLaren's official website, which ensured the Woking-based team scored more than three times as many points as runners-up Ferrari in the constructors' standings.

Ferrari's home race, in fact, was the scene of McLaren's only failure in '88 as Prost withdrew with technical problems and Senna collided with Jean Louis Schlesser at Monza's first chicane and retired from the lead just two laps from the chequered flag, ruining the team's hopes of a 100 per cent record.

But the MP4/4, more than any other car before or since 1988, was deserving of that accolade. As the wait for the first golden season continues, here are five dominant cars that could, and perhaps should, have won every race they started.