2018 Mclaren 570 Spider on 2040-cars

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How McLaren will double its output this year

McLaren Automotive is aiming to almost double its output this year, to 3,000 cars, and hit 4,000 cars per year by 2017. That's over 50 percent of Ferrari's annual production, yet the current McLaren Automotive is only six years old, based about 40 miles southwest of London in Woking. In pursuance of its lofty plans, McLaren recently announced a massive expansion its operations and is hiring another 250 assembly staff for a second shift, which will bring its total headcount to 1,750. Is it chutzpah, or rank stupidity? McLaren made just 1,654 cars last year, including the last of the 570-strong run of P1 supercars, which had an average transaction price of $1.35 million each, and all 40 or so track-only P1 GTRs, which sold for over $288 million. January saw the last P1 GTRs running down the track at Woking. Is it chutzpah, or rank stupidity? And while these cars cannot have been cheap to design and build, it's not hard to see how profitable they will have been. Given that much of the research and development (R&D) will have been amortized in the years up to the 2013 launch of the P1, the profit level has soared in subsequent years. In 2014, its second year of profit and under the leadership of chief executive Mike Flewitt, McLaren Automotive generated a profit before tax of $21.7 million, compared to $6.53 million in 2013. Turnover grew from $413.6 million in 2013 to $688.9 million in 2014. To be fair, the company is investing almost 20 percent of that turnover in R&D ($132.9 million in 2014, $97 million in 2013) and it says that level of spend as a proportion of turnover will continue, with last year's R&D cost estimated at $173.7 million. View 22 Photos In its defense, McLaren says that as a late comer it is still growing in China, which Flewitt has said could well be McLaren's second largest market in 2016 after the US and ahead of the UK and Germany. He also says that the company's growth plans are based on actual orders rather than theoretical expectations, and that since it is (and has been) profitable at 1,500 cars per year, there is some protection against a downturn. But the cars it has to sell this year are a far cry from the exotic and phantasmagorical P1 or the P1 GTR, which were only sold to existing P1 owners. The Sports Series, while being based on shared carbon-fiber tub and the same Ricardo-built 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine and seven-speed twin-clutch transmission, is a much cheaper car.

McLaren launches Sports Series configurator for 570S

With the launch of its new Sports Series, McLaren is reaching out into a whole new market – one far more accessible than the supercars it has made to date. That means there'll be a whole new class of customers who'll suddenly contemplate putting $184,900 down on an example of Woking's finest. But whether you're among those with the means or not, it's a tempting way to waste some time to play around with an online configurator – and that's just what McLaren has launched for the new 570S. The British racing team turned exotic automaker revealed its new entry-level model at the New York Auto Show last week in its signature shade of orange, and even released some photos of the 570S in a slick dark silver finish. But of course those are just starting points: McLaren in seventeen color choices, with three wheel options (each available in three finishes), six colors for the brake calipers, and a whole mess of carbon-fiber trim pieces. And that's before you even step into the cockpit, where the possibilities are virtually endless. Toying around with the configuration tool, we went for a pseudo-Storm Trooper approach with the special Silica White paint, the super-lightweight forged alloys in diamond-cut finish, and probably more carbon parts then we'd actually care to order, push come to twin-turbocharged shove. What combination would you choose? Related Video: Related Gallery McLaren 570S View 28 Photos News Source: McLarenTip: Troy McLaren Coupe Supercars configurator mclaren 570s mclaren sports series

McLaren P1 GTR-18 by Lanzante takes its inspiration from the F1

The McLaren P1 GTR is already one of the most exclusive hypercars ever built (McLaren made only 58 of them), and now Lanzante is making it even more special. The storied British racing company has decided it’s going to convert six P1 GTRs into what itÂ’s calling the P1 GTR-18. Lanzante applies a longtail style body to the P1 GTR, increasing the length and adding even more aero equipment. It has a larger front splitter and modified rear wing to create additional downforce. The appearance is the biggest draw to go with the Lanzante P1 GTR-18, though. All six will get their own special McLaren F1-inspired paint scheme, meant to match the liveries of LanzanteÂ’s racing efforts with the F1. This car is finished in the Gulf Team Davidoff No. 28R scheme, which is the livery from the last McLaren F1 GTR ever produced by Lanzante to compete. HereÂ’s a Bonhams listing for that car, so you can compare and contrast. Paint codes and samples were taken from that F1 so as to make the colors identical. Even the carbon fiber has a special tint to it, different from the regular P1 GTR. Lanzante does throw in some interesting extras, too. You get a headset (to talk to your passenger on track) finished in the same paint scheme as the car, and a set of “bespoke dust bags” and tinted carbon fiber keys to match the car. Powertrain details are not final yet, but the GTR made 986 horsepower combined from its gas engine and electric motor from the factory. It probably doesnÂ’t need anything more. All great stuff, and it will likely cost untold amounts of money. Lanzante didnÂ’t say how much, but anybody who had enough cash to pick up a P1 GTR can likely spring for this special Lanzante treatment if they want it. Related Video: