RE: Speedtail offered with 18 carat gold badges
Thursday 18th October 2018
Speedtail offered with 18 carat gold badges
Badges? You want badges? McLaren will do them in gold. And platinum
If your pockets are sufficiently deep to find £2.1m for a hyper GT car, there's a good chance you might also be a fan - or at least very familiar - with all things gold. McLaren reckons so anyway, as it's offering each of the 106 buyers for its new Ultimate Series car the option of having 18-carat white gold badges. They replace the standard fit, peasant-spec aluminium alternatives, and are produced by Vaughtons, a gold specialist that has made, among other things, Olympic gold medals and the FA Cup.
McLaren's logo is laser-etched into the gold before being surrounded by carbon fibre inserts that have been made using the brand's own thin ply technology, which keeps weight to an absolute minimum. The front badge is smaller than the rear one, so it weighs just 100 grams.
The use of gold in the Speedtail's badge has been linked to the use of gold in the F1's engine bay. That's a rather tenuous link, isn't it, because the F1, which is the Speedtail's three-seat spiritual forebear, used gold to keep temperatures under control. In the Speedtail it's there, for, erm, bling. Plus, if gold's not enough, McLaren will produce an even more expensive platinum version of the badge for you instead.
What about if metal's not your thing? Or you're fearful of badge robbers looking for their next medallion centre piece? McLaren can also stick on a transfer of its logo instead, a la Porsche GT. Any guesses as to how many buyers will opt for this option? We suspect not many.
Whatever the material of the badges adorning your Speedtail, there's no question that it will be insanely fast. With an anticipated 1000hp produced by a hybrid 4.0-litre V8 powertain, Speedtail will be the fastest McLaren yet produced, with an officially confirmed top speed of "more than 243mph". Woking won't budge on an exact number yet because it's saving that for its reveal event, which will take place in London and be broadcast online at 1pm on October 26th. We'll have the full story then.
Discussion
The original McLaren F1, adjusted for inflation, would sell for about £1.25million today.
That had a bespoke NA V12 and a 240+mph top speed, along with an engine bay covered in gold.
Soon you'll be able to get McLaren's newest super car iteration for over £2 million.
It will have a similar V8 powerplant to the rest of the range, a 240+mph top speed, and its badges made out of gold.
That had a bespoke NA V12 and a 240+mph top speed, along with an engine bay covered in gold.
Soon you'll be able to get McLaren's newest super car iteration for over £2 million.
It will have a similar V8 powerplant to the rest of the range, a 240+mph top speed, and its badges made out of gold.
daveco said:
The original McLaren F1, adjusted for inflation, would sell for about £1.25million today.
That had a bespoke NA V12 and a 240+mph top speed, along with an engine bay covered in gold.
Soon you'll be able to get McLaren's newest super car iteration for over £2 million.
It will have a similar V8 powerplant to the rest of the range, a 240+mph top speed, and its badges made out of gold.
I get your point but presumably at least part of the equation will be that they will actually be making a profit on these where as they didn't necessarily with the F1? I don't know how profit is made but even if it was 15% that would push the F1's price closer to 800K which would make the inflated price today around 1.5 million. Still not as much admittedly. That had a bespoke NA V12 and a 240+mph top speed, along with an engine bay covered in gold.
Soon you'll be able to get McLaren's newest super car iteration for over £2 million.
It will have a similar V8 powerplant to the rest of the range, a 240+mph top speed, and its badges made out of gold.
I would have thought some of the processes used to manufacture the F1 would be comparatively cheaper now then it was back then though? Does the more commonplace use of carbon fibre mean that it's cost to produce has decreased? Wasn't the cost of painting the F1's really high as they had to develop the process to give a proper finish on carbon fibre?
Personally I'm awaiting for them to announce what material the oil filler cap is made from, that's the big news!
Edited by gigglebug on Thursday 18th October 15:48
gigglebug said:
daveco said:
The original McLaren F1, adjusted for inflation, would sell for about £1.25million today.
That had a bespoke NA V12 and a 240+mph top speed, along with an engine bay covered in gold.
Soon you'll be able to get McLaren's newest super car iteration for over £2 million.
It will have a similar V8 powerplant to the rest of the range, a 240+mph top speed, and its badges made out of gold.
I get your point but presumably at least part of the equation will be that they will actually be making a profit on these where as they didn't necessarily with the F1? I don't know how profit is made but even if it was 15% that would push the F1's price closer to 800K which would make the inflated price today around 1.5 million. Still not as much admittedly. That had a bespoke NA V12 and a 240+mph top speed, along with an engine bay covered in gold.
Soon you'll be able to get McLaren's newest super car iteration for over £2 million.
It will have a similar V8 powerplant to the rest of the range, a 240+mph top speed, and its badges made out of gold.
I would have thought some of the processes used to manufacture the F1 would be comparatively cheaper now then it was back then though? Does the more commonplace use of carbon fibre mean that it's cost to produce has decreased? Wasn't the cost of painting the F1's really high as they had to develop the process to give a proper finish on carbon fibre?
Personally I'm awaiting for them to announce what material the oil filler cap is made from, that's the big news!
Edited by gigglebug on Thursday 18th October 15:48
I know McLaren only just broke even on the original F1, so you can't blame them for doing what they have to do to maintain healthy profits.
I doubt very few of their current customer base will draw these comparisons between new and old, but a Ferrari superfast with its 800hp NA V12 seems a lot more special to me.
We'll have to see what the finished product provides as regards genuine technological breakthroughs but it can't be all that easy to produce something original these days as there are a few more players than when compared to the 90's when the F1 was released and shattered the perception of what was achievable.
Bugatti have already given us reliable luxury at immense pace. Pagani's have unbelievable attention to detail covered, the faberge eggs of the motor world. Koenigsegg have hammer to crack a nut down to a tee, and plenty of interesting engineering to boot, if that is your thing. Tesla have stolen the initial EV thunder and thats just the few off the top of my head outside of Porsche, Ferrari or Lamborghini.
Maybe, and hopefully, the next big breakthrough will be at completely the other end of the scale and someone will produce a very small, very practical, very light, very entertaining and above all very very cheap car that can be afforded by anyone but appreciated by everyone.
Bugatti have already given us reliable luxury at immense pace. Pagani's have unbelievable attention to detail covered, the faberge eggs of the motor world. Koenigsegg have hammer to crack a nut down to a tee, and plenty of interesting engineering to boot, if that is your thing. Tesla have stolen the initial EV thunder and thats just the few off the top of my head outside of Porsche, Ferrari or Lamborghini.
Maybe, and hopefully, the next big breakthrough will be at completely the other end of the scale and someone will produce a very small, very practical, very light, very entertaining and above all very very cheap car that can be afforded by anyone but appreciated by everyone.
redroadster said:
Yes same basic engine modified carbon tub from rest of range charge 20 times prices as it's got a new slippery body and might shave .1 sec of to 100 all sold in advance plenty of mugs left in world
It’ll be more than just a modified tub. A 3 seater with central driving position will needs an all new tub - safety regs, getting in and out, crash testing mean you can’t take a 720 tub and just drill a few extra holes for the pedals to go in the middle.We don’t know much about the engine yet but a v8 with a new hybrid system has been mentioned by Mike Flewitt.
All clothed in a brand new slippery body.
So that’s a new chassis/carbon tub, new hybrid engine system and new body.
Apart from that, it’s the same as all the other McLarens.
How thoroughly depressing...The car itself might be amazing but it's the sort of stuff I barely pay any attention to nowadays as it's so unobtainable to most..
However whilst I can understand the car will appeal to a lucky few I just cannot tolerate the proposition of an 18 carat gold badge! I love the CanAm stuff of Bruce's heyday, the F1 cars of Sennas era, the Jewel that is Murray's F1. Indeed the current crop also appear to be fantastic too, ( although I'm starting to struggle to differentiate between models and getting a bit bored of it ). A strong heritage of technology, engineering, performance, etc etc etc - great.
But an 18 carat gold badge - for what?! It serves absolutely no purpose and to my mind at least has announced that McLaren have sold out and are now prepared to leave their roots behind and start building cars purely to appeal to the people with the biggest wallets. To appeal to these people Mclaren are prepared to design a product that features a pointless, unnecessary, vulgar trinket. The gold leaf in the F1s engine bay had a purpose. I suppose this badge does in a polar opposite kind of way. Form over function...
Unfortunately a number ,( not all I must stress ), of this demographic will be the completely out of touch c@#t briggade who love excess for excess sake and will lap it up. As such the cars will sell but is that all that matters to McLaren. Really?
I could almost understand them building a 4x4 to get the tills ringing in order to fund tomorrow's next super car. Provided it was a product that stuck to the companies principals and was a tech tour de force/study of efficiency etc then it could remain credible whilst doing a job to secure the companies financials..
Nailing gold bullion to the bonnet of your latest model for no reason other than to attract loaded w
kers to buy your product...........That to me appears to be a poor direction to choose for a brand thats earned it's stripes pursuing excellence..
However whilst I can understand the car will appeal to a lucky few I just cannot tolerate the proposition of an 18 carat gold badge! I love the CanAm stuff of Bruce's heyday, the F1 cars of Sennas era, the Jewel that is Murray's F1. Indeed the current crop also appear to be fantastic too, ( although I'm starting to struggle to differentiate between models and getting a bit bored of it ). A strong heritage of technology, engineering, performance, etc etc etc - great.
But an 18 carat gold badge - for what?! It serves absolutely no purpose and to my mind at least has announced that McLaren have sold out and are now prepared to leave their roots behind and start building cars purely to appeal to the people with the biggest wallets. To appeal to these people Mclaren are prepared to design a product that features a pointless, unnecessary, vulgar trinket. The gold leaf in the F1s engine bay had a purpose. I suppose this badge does in a polar opposite kind of way. Form over function...
Unfortunately a number ,( not all I must stress ), of this demographic will be the completely out of touch c@#t briggade who love excess for excess sake and will lap it up. As such the cars will sell but is that all that matters to McLaren. Really?
I could almost understand them building a 4x4 to get the tills ringing in order to fund tomorrow's next super car. Provided it was a product that stuck to the companies principals and was a tech tour de force/study of efficiency etc then it could remain credible whilst doing a job to secure the companies financials..
Nailing gold bullion to the bonnet of your latest model for no reason other than to attract loaded w
kers to buy your product...........That to me appears to be a poor direction to choose for a brand thats earned it's stripes pursuing excellence..Edited by Edmundo2 on Thursday 18th October 21:58
Maldini35 said:
It’ll be more than just a modified tub. A 3 seater with central driving position will needs an all new tub - safety regs, getting in and out, crash testing mean you can’t take a 720 tub and just drill a few extra holes for the pedals to go in the middle.
BTW You know nothing about crash testing or type approval.
Maldini35 said:
We don’t know much about the engine yet but a v8 with a new hybrid system has been mentioned by Mike Flewitt.
So P1 LM running gear then 
Maldini35 said:
All clothed in a brand new slippery body.
So that’s a new chassis/carbon tub, new hybrid engine system and new body.
Apart from that, it’s the same as all the other McLarens.
McLaren simply don't have the money to make an 100% new car. That's not a criticism. But it does explain why we see certain large components and parts over and over. For example BMW spent $800M for the 7. VW estimated $1.2BILLION for the Mk5 Golf!So that’s a new chassis/carbon tub, new hybrid engine system and new body.
Apart from that, it’s the same as all the other McLarens.
Edmundo2 said:
How thoroughly depressing...The car itself might be amazing but it's the sort of stuff I barely pay any attention to nowadays as it's so unobtainable to most..
However whilst I can understand the car will appeal to a lucky few I just cannot tolerate the proposition of an 18 carat gold badge! I love the CanAm stuff of Bruce's heyday, the F1 cars of Sennas era, the Jewel that is Murray's F1. Indeed the current crop also appear to be fantastic too, ( although I'm starting to struggle to differentiate between models and getting a bit bored of it ). A strong heritage of technology, engineering, performance, etc etc etc - great.
But an 18 carat gold badge - for what?! It serves absolutely no purpose and to my mind at least has announced that McLaren have sold out and are now prepared to leave their roots behind and start building cars purely to appeal to the people with the biggest wallets. To appeal to these people Mclaren are prepared to design a product that features a pointless, unnecessary, vulgar trinket. The gold leaf in the F1s engine bay had a purpose. I suppose this badge does in a polar opposite kind of way. Form over function...
Unfortunately a number ,( not all I must stress ), of this demographic will be the completely out of touch c@#t briggade who love excess for excess sake and will lap it up. As such the cars will sell but is that all that matters to McLaren. Really?
I could almost understand them building a 4x4 to get the tills ringing in order to fund tomorrow's next super car. Provided it was a product that stuck to the companies principals and was a tech tour de force/study of efficiency etc then it could remain credible whilst doing a job to secure the companies financials..
Nailing gold bullion to the bonnet of your latest model for no reason other than to attract loaded wkers to buy your product...........That to me appears to be a poor direction to choose for a brand thats earned it's stripes pursuing excellence..
All that whinging over a gold or platinum badge that's an option... not all wedged up people are about bling and the tasteless.However whilst I can understand the car will appeal to a lucky few I just cannot tolerate the proposition of an 18 carat gold badge! I love the CanAm stuff of Bruce's heyday, the F1 cars of Sennas era, the Jewel that is Murray's F1. Indeed the current crop also appear to be fantastic too, ( although I'm starting to struggle to differentiate between models and getting a bit bored of it ). A strong heritage of technology, engineering, performance, etc etc etc - great.
But an 18 carat gold badge - for what?! It serves absolutely no purpose and to my mind at least has announced that McLaren have sold out and are now prepared to leave their roots behind and start building cars purely to appeal to the people with the biggest wallets. To appeal to these people Mclaren are prepared to design a product that features a pointless, unnecessary, vulgar trinket. The gold leaf in the F1s engine bay had a purpose. I suppose this badge does in a polar opposite kind of way. Form over function...
Unfortunately a number ,( not all I must stress ), of this demographic will be the completely out of touch c@#t briggade who love excess for excess sake and will lap it up. As such the cars will sell but is that all that matters to McLaren. Really?
I could almost understand them building a 4x4 to get the tills ringing in order to fund tomorrow's next super car. Provided it was a product that stuck to the companies principals and was a tech tour de force/study of efficiency etc then it could remain credible whilst doing a job to secure the companies financials..
Nailing gold bullion to the bonnet of your latest model for no reason other than to attract loaded w
kers to buy your product...........That to me appears to be a poor direction to choose for a brand thats earned it's stripes pursuing excellence..Edited by Edmundo2 on Thursday 18th October 21:58
Sold out? What you are saying implies McLaren have abandoned the Sports and Super Series to make cars like the Speedtail. Like Pagani?
Loaded w
kers... Hmmm. How do people get so angry? 
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