McLaren BP23 to 'exceed' 243mph
Woking confirms that its forthcoming petrol-electric hybrid will exceed the top speed set by the McLaren F1
Now Woking has specified precisely what that means - and, as expected, it refers to the car's top speed, which will apparently exceed 243mph. Why that exact number? Shame on you - that's the peak speed that Andy Wallace hit in 1998 when driving the XP5 prototype of the F1 at the Ehra-Lessien test track (the production car world record was averaged at 240.1mph over two runs).
Of course, McLaren would prefer that you didn't actually think of the car as a direct replacement to the F1; its obvious similarities are intended as 'homages' rather than the standout features of a successor. Woking likes to describe the car as a 'hyper GT' because it neatly distinguishes the model from the track-focused Senna. The BP23 - or whatever it's eventually called - will also be the work of its MSO division, meaning that each car will essentially be a bespoke creation.
This means exceeding the P1's output, which also used a combination of twin-turbocharged V8 and electric motor to produced 916hp. That was with the engine in its 3.8-litre 737hp guise though; the Senna GTR's 4.0-litre version will develop 'more than' 825hp alone. It would not be a surprise nor a stretch of the imagination to see that figure return in the BP23 - and with Woking likely to have done considerably better with its next generation of electric motor than 178hp, it is easy to conceive of a hyper GT endowed with considerably more than 1,000hp.
Enough to start setting records? Well, that really would make it the perfect tribute to Gordon Murray's masterpiece, wouldn't it? McLaren certainly isn't committing itself to the idea though. Palmer himself pointed out that it's just a number and one liable to be beaten by someone else a week later (even without Guiness's rubber stamp) - and that manufacturers are now limited by tyre technology as much as anything. Still, here's hoping, eh...
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