2018 Mclaren 570s Spider In Mso Burton Blue W/ Mso Titanium Exhaust + Ag Lu on 2040-cars

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McLaren could make 675LT Spider after all

When McLaren came out with the 675LT, it initially said it'd only be offered as a coupe. That decision has now apparently been reversed, however, with news that the hardcore flagship of the company's Super Series may yet breed a convertible version after all. According to Autovisie out of the Netherlands, customer demand has compelled Woking to make an additional run of 675LT Spiders. Just how many it would make, we don't know. The company built just 500 examples of the coupe – all of which sold out in short order – so we wouldn't be surprised to see a similar number of convertibles made. Reached for comment, McLaren spokesman Wayne Bruce would only confirm that it is under consideration: "The 675LT was conceived as a Coupe," said Bruce, "but we are receiving many enquiries about a Spider derivative which we are considering." The 675LT debuted at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, based on the 650S but with extended bodywork to give it more downforce, inspired by the Longtail version of the McLaren F1 GTR. It also featured more power and less weight to make it even faster. The output of the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 was upped to 666 horsepower, and the curb weight cut down to 2,712 pounds, giving it a 0-62 time of 2.9 seconds. It also came with a price tag of about $400k, elevating the Super Series, in relative terms, from Lamborghini Huracan territory to Aventador rival. Expect the Spider to bear a negligible performance penalty for the open bodystyle, but a slightly higher price than the coupe version. Don't expect it, however, to sit around unsold for long.

McLaren flanks upcoming new Sports Series

If you think major automakers like Volkswagen and General Motors have been making the most of their technologies, just look at McLaren. The British supercar constructor developed a carbon-monocoque chassis, 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission for the MP4-12C with which it launched in 2011, and has used those basic building blocks as the backbone for everything it's done since. Next up will be the new Sports Series, and what we're looking at here is our first glimpse at a completely undisguised body panel for that new model line. Granted there's not a whole lot to see from the teaser images above, but it does show us a substantial section of the vehicle's flank. Central to its profile is the side intake, which to our eye would seem to pay homage to its earlier logo – a streamline form of its original kiwi bird mascot – it used throughout the 1970s, much as the headlamps and other elements on the 650S and P1 take their inspiration from the company's current boomerang-shaped logo. The carbon accent flows from the front wheel well into the airtake aft of the door. Like the P1 but unlike the company's other supercars to date, the wing mirrors are fixed to the door rather than the window frame, and of course the whole thing is decked out in Woking's signature shade of orange. Beyond that, we'll have to wait... but not for much longer as McLaren is set to take the wraps off its new entry-level model in a few weeks' time at the New York Auto Show. That's when and where it will join the company's existing Super Series and Ultimate Series as McLaren's most accessible and highest-volume model line yet – what the company is referring as a defining or "Black Swan" moment. It'll be built around those same building blocks but with a detuned engine to take on the likes of the Audi R8 and Porsche 911 Turbo and GT3, coming in a variety of body-styles and states of tune. News Source: McLaren via Facebook McLaren Coupe Supercars 2015 ny auto show mclaren sports series

Ron Dennis departs McLaren, ending a golden era in Formula One

LONDON - The departure of Ron Dennis from McLaren, announced on Friday, marks the end of an era for the Formula One team and a farewell to another of the sport's towering figures of yesteryear. News that would once have reverberated like a seismic shock through the grand prix paddock now sounds more like an echo from the past, however. Formula One has undergone a major shift since Dennis commanded the heights as an uncompromising hands-on leader, forging the team in his own image and achieving both unprecedented success and scandal. The sport's 86-year-old commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone went last January, sidelined by new US-based owners Liberty Media, who have since set about transforming the landscape. Before him, long-serving Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo had been ousted from the most glamorous team on the grid, and Max Mosley was replaced at the helm of the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA). Of the big beasts of old, only Frank Williams, the 75-year-old founder of his eponymous team, remains. He is in poor health, and daughter Claire is calling the shots as his deputy. McLaren, the second-most successful team after Ferrari, has meanwhile plumbed the depths - winless since 2012 and last in the current championship. The Honda partnership championed by Dennis, hoping to revive the glory years of the 1980s, has been a dismal failure and is now close to divorce. Dennis, who turned 70 on June 1, had already been relieved of his role at the team last November when fellow shareholders - Bahrain's Mumtalakat Holding Co. and Saudi-born businessman Mansour Ojjeh - brought in American marketing expert Zak Brown. On Friday, McLaren announced Dennis was selling his stake in both McLaren Automotive, the profitable sports car company that was his brainchild, and also in McLaren Technology Group. "It represents a fitting end to my time at McLaren, and will enable me to focus on my other interests," he said in a statement. "I have always said that my 37 years at Woking should be considered as a chapter in the McLaren book, and I wish McLaren every success as it takes the story forward." OBSESSIVE PERFECTIONISM Dennis, who started out as a mechanic with Cooper in 1966, joined McLaren in 1980 when he took over the team founded by the late New Zealander Bruce McLaren.