2019 Mclaren 600lt on 2040-cars

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Race recap: 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix was everything good and bad about F1

Nothing was as it seemed heading into Bahrain. We were told team bosses had nixed the qualifying experiment that flunked every test by every measure in Australia, but that didn't happen. The FIA didn't give the teams the option of a wholesale return to the old format, the governing body only held a vote on whether to revert back to the old format in Q3 but stick with elimination gimmicks in Q1 and Q2. McLaren and Red Bull dissented, denying the chance for hybrid rounds. We're surprised none of the smaller teams voted against since elimination qualifying is hardest on them. Given the chance to fix the system again in Bahrain, Formula 1 failed again. The FIA and Bernie Ecclestone don't want to go back to the old system – because the race promoters don't want to go back to the old system – so all we know for sure is that there will be more meetings. We also thought Fernando Alonso would race in Bahrain after being given medical clearance, but a follow-up scan by the FIA showed fractured ribs and a damaged lung, ruling him out. And we thought Ferrari might have the pace to conquer Mercedes-AMG Petronas this year – and they might yet, but not on Saturday. That's why the Bahrain race began with another Mercedes one-two, Lewis Hamilton ahead of Nico Rosberg, Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen behind. The Australian outback is plagued with rabbits, which must have something to do with how Daniel Ricciardo keeps pulling them out of his helmet; the Aussie got his Red Bull up to a surprising fifth on the grid. Williams drivers Valtteri Bottas in sixth and Felipe Massa in seventh would need to get him out of the way quickly to show what the car can do after an unsatisfying race in Australia. Nico Hulkenberg lined up in eighth for Sahara Force India. As proof the qualifying format failed again with its sophomore attempt, the last five minutes of Q2 were disappointing. Hulkenberg had the track completely to himself for his quali run, the only two cars on track after him were the Williams duo who weren't setting a time, but getting a set of soft tires ready to start the race on. As for Q1, the only reason for on-track action in the last three minutes was because Hamilton flubbed his first timed run. Romain Grosjean continued Haas F1's fruitful start to the season with ninth place, ahead of Max Verstappen in the Toro Rosso closing out the top ten. At the end of a long red light to start the race, Rosberg claimed his right to victory before Turn 1.

McLaren 600LT Spider revealed: Top-down performance

In internet parlance, a long tail is a story or topic that endures, that people stick with over a long time. That idea could be translated in automotive terms to a classic. McLaren's Longtail models are modern classics, and the bespoke sports car maker has just minted its fifth Longtail, the 600LT Spider. McLaren promises the droptop has all the track-flavored performance of the 600LT coupe, with the "added exhilaration of open-air driving." With a top-down top speed of 196 mph, that's a lot of added exhilaration. (It's 201 mph with the top up.) And just imagine the tune from those top-exit exhausts just aft of your head. McLaren says it managed to limit the weight gain in the Spider to 110 pounds over the coupe, and cites a dry weight of 2,859 pounds. Well, 2,859.4, to be McLaren-exact. That's 220 pounds lighter than the 570S Spider from which this car is derived, and lighter than its exotic competitors. Customers can also order their cars with seats from the Senna and with radio and climate control delete for maximum weight loss. Much of the weight savings credit goes the car's carbon fiber MonoCell II chassis that, even with the roof cut off, remains as rigid as the coupe without any added reinforcements. As for power, McLaren cites 592 hp and 457 pound-feet of torque from its 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8. That's 4.82 pounds per horsepower, for a 0-to-60 time of 2.8 seconds, on par with the coupe. You surely won't even notice that the Spider's time to 200 kph (124 mph) at 8.4 seconds is 0.2 seconds slower than the coupe. All that power is delivered by a dual-clutch seven-speed transmission. An Ignition Cut feature in Sport mode is said to facilitate faster shifting "whilst delivering a dramatic aural crack from the top-exit exhausts." A feature called Inertia Push (isn't all driving an inertia push?) is supposed to boost acceleration in Track mode. The retractable three-piece hardtop can be operated at speeds to 25 mph. It stows into a tonneau cover behind the seats that can provide a bit more storage when the top is up. And even the Pirelli P Zero™ Trofeo R tires are bespoke, "for track-focused dynamics." The Spider is available to order now, starting at $256,500. Related Video:

McLaren 675LT shows its longer tail in leaked image

The Geneva Motor Show next month is shaping up to be a supercar extravaganza. Not only is Ferrari unveiling the new turbocharged 488 GTB at the Swiss expo, but McLaren will also be on hand with a pair of more extreme versions of its two supercars in the P1 GTR and 675LT. We've seen teasers of the latter, but now the first full image has leaked out, showing the track-focused exotic's new long tail. Based on the existing 650S, the new McLaren 675LT benefits from a revised 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 with 666 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, breathing through a new twin-tip exhaust protruding out of an extended tail with a new active rear wing. A fresh set of alloys, mounted to an assuredly retuned suspension, also appear to be part of the mix, along with some more revised aerodynamic elements. We'll have to wait a little longer, though, for McLaren to reveal its latest Super Series model in full to see how the overall shape and details take form. News Source: Autogespot Geneva Motor Show McLaren Coupe Supercars 2015 Geneva Motor Show mclaren 675lt