McLaren Speedtail reveal date confirmed
In two weeks we'll meet Woking's fastest road car, which it's billing as the first 'hyper-GT'
McLaren has confirmed that its long-awaited Speedtail and self-designated ‘hyper-GT’ will be revealed at 1pm on October 26th at a private event in London, with a live stream internet broadcast for those of us short of the £2.1 million to bag one. Just 106 are being made, all of which are already spoken for, and each will produce more than 1,000hp from a hybrid powertrain and have a top speed greater than the F1’s 243mph.
McLaren has been tight-lipped on further technical details for the Speedtail (formerly BP23), although it has provided a few snippets, such as a reference to the car’s “momentous, flowing, highly streamlined design”. A new preview image and earlier illustrations have also shown that it’ll get a low-set roofline and lengthy back-end, hence the name. We know the car will be a three-seater that places the driver in the middle, like the F1, as well.
But how fast is fast, you ask? That’s the biggest unanswered question when it comes to the Speedtail. You might think McLaren would want to make the fastest car in the world, but PistonHeads understands the British supercar maker has no interest in breaking records and joining the 300mph race. Woking’s engineers have instead been tasked with making a McLaren that, while faster than all others, is highly luxurious and usable in town traffic. As such, it won’t use tyres designed specifically for top speed.
Since each Speedtail will not be focused on the drag strip and instead have to face wide-ranging demands from its wealthy owner, the use of hybrid-electric power seemed inevitable. A likely setup will combine the 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine that was first used in the 720S (where it has 720hp) and an electric motor. We’re yet to learn whether the motor drives directly through the gearbox, a la P1, or whether it’s given control of the front axle. The latter has become more popular due to providing more space for a separate gearbox to enable higher speed, but the former has packaging advantages.
Whichever route McLaren has taken with the Speedtail’s system, it’s highly likely to be capable of all-electric running. This is because the Speedtail has to conform to strict emissions limits across the globe, with ever-shrinking CO2 limits and even possible combustion engine-free zones in German cities. Future hybrid McLarens, for which the Speedtail will become a halo model, are therefore expected with zero-emission running capability.
In fact, the Speedtail will arrive as the first of 18 confirmed new McLarens, set to be launched as part of its Track25 business plan. Parts of the model’s hybrid powertrain, its use of “exquisite new materials” and its vast range of customisation options are expected to filter down into these other models in the coming years. By 2025, all McLaren Sport Series and Super Series models will use a hybrid powertrain, leaving only Ultimate Series cars to rely on regular combustion power, like the Senna.
That’s why you see so many of them.
That’s why you see so many of them.
The McLaren F1 (Gordon Murray's Car) - mid-seat layout, naturally aspirated V-12, manual gearbox, light weight focus, timeless iconic design - analogue.
The new McLaren "formula"-
Twin-turbo V8 - cheap easy power, no regards for N/A sound or response, recycled in some form or another since the 12-C in all their models
No Manual Gearbox - cheap easy gear changes, no real skill required or regard for true drivers who seek to master the demands of a manual transmission ( heel and toe, rev matching, etc.)
"Hybrid Technology" - adding a further layer of electronic interference between the driver and machine because developing a proper bespoke NA engine would be too expensive for the company.
"Name Changes" - This adds no real performance benefits except to ruse the less discerning, "wealthy", customers into thinking that a new model was actually developed, when all they are doing is changing body kits, exhausts, engine displacements, boost levels, interchanging interiors, and slightly altering the same basic body shell that was used in the 12-C.
Their biggest violation using the formula was Naming the 720S clone a "Senna", in an attempt to fool the less discerning in to thinking it was some kind of all new model, and charging a million plus for it. Yet they pulled it off using their propaganda channels, which will go unnamed.
Now Autocar is even making direct comparisons between the two cars which further exposes their similarity.
How come they don't do an Unbiased comparison between the P1 and the Senna?
They will continue to use this formula for the foreseeable future it seems, because their client base and fanboys seem to remain woefully unaware...
The McLaren F1 (Gordon Murray's Car) - mid-seat layout, naturally aspirated V-12, manual gearbox, light weight focus, timeless iconic design - analogue.
The new McLaren "formula"-
Twin-turbo V8 - cheap easy power, no regards for N/A sound or response, recycled in some form or another since the 12-C in all their models
No Manual Gearbox - cheap easy gear changes, no real skill required or regard for true drivers who seek to master the demands of a manual transmission ( heel and toe, rev matching, etc.)
"Hybrid Technology" - adding a further layer of electronic interference between the driver and machine because developing a proper bespoke NA engine would be too expensive for the company.
"Name Changes" - This adds no real performance benefits except to ruse the less discerning, "wealthy", customers into thinking that a new model was actually developed, when all they are doing is changing body kits, exhausts, engine displacements, boost levels, interchanging interiors, and slightly altering the same basic body shell that was used in the 12-C.
Their biggest violation using the formula was Naming the 720S clone a "Senna", in an attempt to fool the less discerning in to thinking it was some kind of all new model, and charging a million plus for it. Yet they pulled it off using their propaganda channels, which will go unnamed.
Now Autocar is even making direct comparisons between the two cars which further exposes their similarity.
How come they don't do an Unbiased comparison between the P1 and the Senna?
They will continue to use this formula for the foreseeable future it seems, because their client base and fanboys seem to remain woefully unaware...
Genuine question.
If you have, then I doubt you’d pursue the line of argument that it’s just a 720S in disguise.
Of course there are shared elements - it’s the same story with every manufacturer - but the differences are pretty significant.
Those that have experienced the car up close are universally impressed with the engineering and the way it drives (if not by the way it looks).
But if you disagree perhaps everybody else is wrong?
Unlikely though.
Yes the F1 was magnificent but the world has moved on (not least the legislative restrictions all manufacturers now face). It’s the same story at Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini. I also love the F40 but I accept that Ferrari have to progress.
Yes, mastering a good manual gearbox is a delight but that is irrelevant for the modern breed of super/hyper cars.
Technological progress and speed is what they are chasing - and it was ever thus.
It’s hopelessly naive to think otherwise.
If you are trying to make a point I’d advise you to drop the conspiracy theories (which you bring up time and again) and the patronising ‘fanboy’ references. They make you very hard to take seriously.
Having said all this, we have to remember that the F1 was not powered by a mclaren engine at all, so in fact the whole argument doesn’t seem to hang together that things have changed so much...
The McLaren F1 (Gordon Murray's Car) - mid-seat layout, naturally aspirated V-12, manual gearbox, light weight focus, timeless iconic design - analogue.
The new McLaren "formula"-
Twin-turbo V8 - cheap easy power, no regards for N/A sound or response, recycled in some form or another since the 12-C in all their models
No Manual Gearbox - cheap easy gear changes, no real skill required or regard for true drivers who seek to master the demands of a manual transmission ( heel and toe, rev matching, etc.)
"Hybrid Technology" - adding a further layer of electronic interference between the driver and machine because developing a proper bespoke NA engine would be too expensive for the company.
"Name Changes" - This adds no real performance benefits except to ruse the less discerning, "wealthy", customers into thinking that a new model was actually developed, when all they are doing is changing body kits, exhausts, engine displacements, boost levels, interchanging interiors, and slightly altering the same basic body shell that was used in the 12-C.
Their biggest violation using the formula was Naming the 720S clone a "Senna", in an attempt to fool the less discerning in to thinking it was some kind of all new model, and charging a million plus for it. Yet they pulled it off using their propaganda channels, which will go unnamed.
Now Autocar is even making direct comparisons between the two cars which further exposes their similarity.
How come they don't do an Unbiased comparison between the P1 and the Senna?
They will continue to use this formula for the foreseeable future it seems, because their client base and fanboys seem to remain woefully unaware...
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