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McLaren to unveil 'latest competition car' at Goodwood Festival of Speed

One of the very best automotive events of the year kicks off next week in England – the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Manufacturers from around the globe will descend on the Earl of March's estate in West Sussex to display their wares, while some of the world's greatest cars will streak up the estate's 1.16-mile Hillclimb Circuit. Goodwood isn't just a place to see high-performance cars run up a driveway, though. Manufacturers often use the the event as a debut location for some of their sauciest road cars and newest racers. This year, that will include McLaren, which has announced that, in addition to demonstration laps from former Formula One World Champion Jenson Button as well as runs in a one-off 650S and P1, an all-new competition vehicle will make its debut. While we were holding out hope for the debut of the P1 GTR, the more likely case indicated by the teaser sketch, shown above, is that we'll see the successor to the 12C GT3 racer, the 650S GT3. Like its predecessor, the 650S GT3 will likely take part in the FIA's GT3 and GT1 championships, alongside the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin and BMW. We'll have all the details on the 650S GT3 when it makes its debut on Friday, June 27. Meanwhile, keep an eye open for Goodwood content, as the festival kicks off on June 26 and runs through June 29. Take a look below for the official press release from McLaren. McLAREN AT GOODWOOD 2014 The arrival of summer in the UK means it's Festival of Speed time again, and McLaren Automotive is gearing up for what promises to be another great weekend of cars and stars at Goodwood. As an official partner of this world-famous annual event, McLaren will have a major presence in Lord March's country park over the course of the weekend and will be following the Festivals theme of 'Addicted to Winning'. We have something particularly special in store – for the first time, we will be unveiling a new model at the Festival as McLaren GT uncover their latest competition race car. Our exhibition stand, which proved such a draw in 2013 as we showcased the then-new McLaren P1™, will once again be a key attraction of the weekend. We will be located to the right of Goodwood House this year, near the TAG Heuer Drivers' Club Walkway, so it's a great place to look out for famous faces. The McLaren 650S will be on display making its Festival of Speed debut having been revealed at the Geneva Motor show in March. The McLaren P1™ will also be present.

McLaren P1 squares off against Porsche 918 in Evo track battle

Evo's side-by-side comparison of the McLaren P1 against the Porsche 918 Spyder isn't the first time we've seen England and Germany's ultimate automotive weapons sized up together; last month, Autocar tested them over the standing mile, with a Ducati 1199 Superleggera playing the joker. Evo throws a few curves at its test, though, taking the supercars to Anglesey Circuit in Wales to see which will lay down the fastest lap time with scribe Jethro Bovington at the wheel. In case the numbers haven't yet been seared into your memory, while both are assisted by electric motors, the 3,069-pound, rear-wheel drive P1 gets on with 903 horsepower and 664 pound-feet from a 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged V8. The 3,750-pound, all-wheel-drive 918 Spyder does its job with 795 hp and 575 lb-ft surging out of a naturally aspirated, 4.6-liter V8. We're not told know which circuit layout he uses for the test, but both cars comfortably eclipse the mark set by the fastest coupe Evo's driven around it so far, the Ferrari 458 Speciale. Then, in an epilogue occasioned by a tire change, one of the supercars comfortably eclipses its own time again, before Bovington declares one the master of the track and the other the ruler of the street. Enjoy finding out which is which in the video above.

Watch the McLaren F1's original record-setting top-speed run

When it was released in the early 1990s, the McLaren F1 was a car so full of superlatives that, even today, few cars come close to matching it. The F1 is arguably the greatest car that was or ever will be built, and it's unlikely we'll ever see another road-going car with as much raw and unfettered power and presence as the F1. The most famous metric of all, the car's official top speed of 240.1 mph, was achieved in 1998, deep in the forests of Germany with a former McLaren driver and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner behind the wheel. McLaren just released previously unseen footage of the run, which took place at the Ehra-Lessien proving ground. Aside from watching a digital speedometer slowly creep up to 391 km/h, the best part is the commentary from driver Andy Wallace. You'll have to watch the video for yourself, but it's wonderful hearing Wallace's mixture of excitement and fear as the car creeps ever fast. Pay particularly close attention to his hands, as even the mighty McLaren can't stay cool and calm at 220-plus mph. The car actually hits 242.9 mph in one run, but records take the average of two runs in opposite directions. The team's excitement can be felt through the screen, but the video leaves you with a twinge of sadness knowing that something so pure, so focused, and so wholly and completely uncompromised will likely never be seen again. Related Video: News Source: YouTube via The DriveImage Credit: McLaren McLaren Coupe Performance Supercars Videos top speed