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McLaren divulges Ultimate Series Speedtail hypercar will make more than 986 hp

With as much as we know about the McLaren Speedtail, we’re still missing the finest, most important details. Now that hypercars are no longer unicorns but regularly released products, upper three- and four-digit horsepower figures need to be placed in the context of the segment and technical aspects to make the most impact. However, the latest morsel of news on the Speedtail is another step in the right direction. McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt told TopGear magazine at an owner’s club gathering that the next Ultimate Series champion would produce “more than 1,000 PS,” meaning at least 986 horsepower.

Flewitt would only say about the rest of the engine that it will employ a recognizable architecture and “a slightly different hybrid application” than in the P1. We’ll take that as euphemism for the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that features throughout the Sports and Super Series ranges, making 426 hp in the 570S GT4 and 710 hp in the 720S. The P1 used a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 making 727 hp, helped by an electric motor adding another 176 hp, for 903 in total.

We’re not sure how much any owner will feel the 83 hp difference between his P1 and his Speedtail, but Flewitt said the company’s focused “on attributes rather than engines.” What an owner will register is the Speedtail being much faster than the P1; the latter was limited to 217 miles per hour, the English automaker has already pledged the Speedtail will be the fastest-ever McLaren, which means eclipsing the 243 mph that the F1 achieved.

It’s likely that the 106 Speedtail owners will also note the three-seat coupe is more comfortable than both than its spiritual inspiration the F1, and the P1. Flewitt said his team’s developed a hypercar that’s “super comfortable, super to drive,” and a “better driving proposition” than some of the multi-million-dollar competition going for top speed records.

Speaking of top speed records, the McLaren Speedtail won’t be going for any. The horsepower wars might not be over, but when an Aston Martin road car makes 1,130 hp, the battle’s effectively been won by everyone who can take the field. Upstarts are turning their armaments on the physical walls of top speed, and Flewitt wants none of it. On Hennessey’s hunt for 300 mph with the Venom F5, Flewitt demurred, “I might come out with John and take the opportunity to do a high speed run with our car, but we’re not chasing a top speed for the sake of it,” adding that his Speedtail “is more rounded than that.”

McLaren’s latest wonder doesn’t start deliveries until next year, but we’ve heard there’ll be more Speedtail news coming in October.

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August 30, 2018 / Comments Off

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McLaren granted trademark for ‘McLaren GT,’ but is even a car?

Last year McLaren Automotive Limited applied to trademark the name “McLaren GT” in the U.S. and the UK. Last week the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the request. It’s tempting to wonder if we’re looking at the name of the new McLaren monster car, the three-seat road-going Ultimate Series offering so far known as BP23. McLaren has, after all, called the coupe a “Hyper-GT” in an official press release.

There are two hitches to making that connection, though. The first and weakest hitch is that last month, Autocar reported that McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt said he wanted proper names for the company’s Ultimate Series cars, “rather than an alphanumeric designation.” The Senna was the first under that regime. Yes, we could consider “GT” a name, and there are no numbers involved. Yet that would be a pretty bland follow-up to the Senna, especially a follow-up that’s meant to be the new capstone on what McLaren can do, faster than the 243-mile-per-hour F1 and more powerful than the P1.

The second, more compelling hitch comes in the line describing what the trademark is for: “Retail store services featuring motor land vehicles.” That pinpoints a different use than a road car trademark. McLaren’s P1, 650S, 12C Spider, Spider, and Longtail trademark applications are all for “Motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles, and structural parts therefor.” McLaren GT, on the other hand, appears to be some kind of storefront that will sell those cars. The trademark for “Jaguar Racing” is also for stores selling cars, among other things, and the trademark for McLaren Qualified applies to “Retail store services featuring pre-owned vehicles.” Perhaps this is part of a future dealer initiative or rebranding effort. Or maybe it’s nothing, you know how trademarks go.

Does this mean the new hypercar won’t be called “McLaren GT?” No. But we’ll need more clues and a stronger case to make the call either way.

March 13, 2018 / Comments Off

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McLaren confirms BP23 supercar with exhaust teaser shot

Late last year, McLaren announced a supercar project with a center seating arrangement, which it called the “Bespoke Project 23” — a suitably obscure codename for a British prototype. After all, this is the country whose atomic bomb project in WWII was codenamed “Tube Alloys,” so there’s a penchant for understatement and obscurity. In any event, we don’t know much about the thing yet, despite lots of teasers, except that McLaren hopes it’ll be a worthy successor to the legendary F1.

We did see the company testing the center seating arrangement in a hacked-up 720S prototype. And now there’s an official photo, showing triple tailpipes surrounded by a similarly-shaped surround made of what looks to be aluminum, possibly titanium. It’s obviously nestled in the rear of the BP23, since side-pipes wouldn’t look like this. Otherwise, there’s not much to glean from it. It’s nice to know, however, that the project is progressing and is officially official — although McLaren’s been talking about this car since at least last November, so this “confirmation” is a formality of little importance.

We’ll be watching for updates on the BP23 and bring you whatever we find. Hopefully that’ll include a better name, the sooner the better.

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October 18, 2017 / Comments Off

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Is this a new McLaren racecar?

McLaren has something interesting in the works, and our eagle-eyed spy shooter caught a camo-clad prototype in testing as evidence. This intense McLaren is based on the 675LT, and looks to be a racecar prototype, but it could be a test mule for something entirely different.

The huge wing in the back is visually dramatic, and suggests this car is built to race, as do the large air intakes and roof scoop, but that could just be a distraction. Our spy points out the “MV715-23” on the top of the windshield. BP23 is McLaren’s code name for the rumored three-seat “hyper-GT” car that will serve as an homage to the F1, due in 2019 (and already sold out). This car, though, has a two-seat layout, but who knows what sort of powertrain is hiding underneath that body.

We think the racecar theory has some credibility, because … well, just look at it. Got your own ideas? Share ’em in the comments below.

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September 20, 2017 / Comments Off

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McLaren said to be developing an all-electric hypercar

British supercar maker McLaren plans to produce an all-electric version of its Ultimate Series hypercars, the automotive website Autocar reports.

The new, unnamed vehicle is reportedly not the same as the previously rumored P15, a lightweight Ultimate Series car we learned more about just last month. The EV is set to arrive sometime after the release of both the P15, which comes later this year, and the release of the BP23 hybrid in 2019. The latter is a replacement for the three-seater F1.

Autocar reports that the automaker plans to produce five models of the EV initially and let favored McLaren owners drive them as part of the development process. It also plans to introduce hybrid replacements for its 570 Sport Series and 720 Super Series in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

McLaren has said it expects half of its fleet to feature hybrid powertrains by 2022.

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August 18, 2017 / Comments Off

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