2016 Mclaren 675lt Spider on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW says it is not interested in purchasing McLaren

BERLIN (Reuters) -BMW denied reports by Automobilwoche on Sunday that it was interested in buying McLaren Automotive.  Volkswagen's Audi said it was open to cooperation opportunities, but flatly denied rumors that it had already completed a deal to purchase the supercar manufacturer in hopes of landing a Formula 1 birth.  German autos publication Automobilwoche had reported on Sunday that the two carmakers were interested in buying McLaren Automotive, without specifying its sources. Audi is also interested in the Formula 1 division of the company, Automobilwoche said. BMW told Reuters by phone that the report was wrong. Audi said in an email that it regularly considers different cooperation opportunities, but it did not comment on the specific case of McLaren. (Reporting by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Hugh Lawson)

Mario Andretti sees familiar spark in Fernando Alonso at Indy

INDIANAPOLIS - Mario Andretti sees the same spark in Fernando Alonso that drove him to take on all comers at race tracks around the world and said he believes the Spaniard is a threat to win the Indianapolis 500. Alonso set the motor racing world abuzz last month when he said he had been granted clearance by his McLaren Formula One team to miss the Monaco Grand Prix and race in the 101st Indy 500 on May 28 in pursuit of the sport's famed 'Triple Crown' - a Formula One title and Indy 500 and Le Mans wins. While Graham Hill is the only driver to achieve the feat, Andretti also stands alone as the only driver to win a Formula One world championship, an Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500. "I embraced the challenges that's why I did it because I was curious," Andretti told Reuters before Alonso settled into the cockpit of an IndyCar for the first time on Wednesday. "Some drivers are very happy specializing. I wasn't. "I see the same spark in Alonso. "I commend him for doing this. I know how he feels because this was always my challenge to go into somebody else's sandbox and see if I could win at their own game. "There's nothing better than that." Despite Alonso having won 32 grands prix and two drivers championships, the 35-year-old was required to undergo IndyCar's rookie orientation program on Wednesday in order to get used to the unique environment of oval racing at the famed 2.5 mile (4km) Brickyard course. "Here you have constant high speed on a super speedway and it is incredibly different from what his (Alonso's) specialty is which is basically road racing," added Andretti. "It's not that he is going to be foreign to 220 mph plus but what he is going to be foreign to is cornering at 220mph plus. "That's the part that obviously he is going to have to deal with and learn how to approach it." McLaren will enter the race with a Honda-engined Indy car run by Andretti Autosport, owned by former McLaren driver Michael Andretti, who put together a detailed game plan for Alonso that began in a simulator. Alonso impressed on Wednesday as he quickly got up to speed with a fastest lap of 222.548 mph (356.825 kph) but Andretti said there was still a lot for him to learn. "As you get closer to qualifying then he is going to have to start flirting with the limit of the car. That's when it gets precarious," said Andretti. "At these speeds when you're flirting with the limits of the car and ready to go then you have to have a pretty good feel.

McLaren will sell you a $15,400 bespoke luggage set designed for the GT

McLaren released the GT a few months ago as its most practical vehicle to date. Then Chevy showed us the mid-engine Corvette, and that mid-engine sports car looks even more practical than the McLaren. Tough luck. However, all is not lost. McLaren has the ultimate accessory package for your practical supercar: the first MSO luggage collection. It’s designed specifically for the GT, and costs $15,400 to snag one of everything. Folks at the Pebble Beach Concours dÂ’Elegance saw it first. There are four pieces in the luggage set including a garment case ($2,300), weekend bag ($2,500), cabin bag ($3,800) and full-size golf bag ($6,800). Yes, McLaren will sell you a golf bag for $6,800. But hey, thatÂ’s the price you pay for wanting to take your McLaren to the golf course. IsnÂ’t that pocket change worth not having to drive your Range Rover to the links? Depends how deep those pockets are. You may ask why these seemingly small bags are so expensive. HereÂ’s your answer: All the bags are made using the same leather and stitching youÂ’ll find in the interior of a McLaren GT. There are three color options available to best match your interior color, including Pioneer Black, Luxe Black and Luxe Porcelain. Interestingly, the bags themselves are made in Italy, not England. All of them are designed to fit into specific areas in the car, making sure not to intrude on passenger space or outward visibility. Paying $15,400 for luggage is mighty ridiculous, but when the car starts at $210,000, itÂ’s more of a very expensive option than anything else. If youÂ’re one of the lucky folks to pick up a McLaren GT, the folks in Woking say youÂ’ll be able to order the matching luggage set at McLaren retailers beginning in September. McLaren GT by MSO View 18 Photos