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McLaren matches Ferrari with an extended warranty of up to 12 years

If you're an owner of a McLaren and want some assurance that if something goes wrong with your pricey sports car it'll be covered, McLaren has some good news for you. The company announced that it will now offer an extended warranty that will protect your McLaren for up to 12 years from the date of manufacture. Previously, McLaren owners were only given the option to extend the factory three-year and unlimited mileage warranty to seven years. Extending the warranty does cost extra (though McLaren didn't announce how much), and can be purchased in increments of 12 to 24 months. If you happen to have a McLaren P1, we're afraid this warranty isn't available to you. It only covers Sports Series and Super Series cars, which includes vehicles such as the 570S, MP4-12C, 650S, and variations on those models. For people looking to purchase a McLaren with this warranty, it is only available for new, and certified pre-owned McLarens that are under 10 years old and have driven fewer than 100,000 miles. The warranty also only covers problems that are not considered general wear and tear, misuse, or abuse. Aftermarket parts and upgrades also aren't covered. McLaren isn't the only supercar company to offer lengthy warranty coverage. According to Business Insider, Ferrari announced two years ago that it would offer extra-charge extensions to the standard three-year warranty for up to 12 years as well. Ferrari also sweetens the deal on new models with a seven-year service program. Related Video:

McLaren Senna Can-Am and XP special editions honor two racing icons

McLaren produced 500 examples of the Senna road car, and the entire run sold out immediately. This year it added the more powerful, track-only Senna GTR, selling out of all 75 units instantly. That's not the end of the Senna line, however, with 26 more units divvied up between three special editions. The most numerous is the Senna LM, a street-legal version of the GTR supposedly put together by McLaren Special Operations. The bodywork's been toned down a touch by dropping the aero flics on the front bumper and the GTR's extended rear wing, and the LM fits a less aggressive rear diffuser. Interestingly, a spy shot shows the Senna LM also going without the windows in the lower portions of the doors. There's no reliable intel on the engine yet, but it's hoped that the LM fits the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 as the GTR, producing 814 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. The LM is reputed to cost GBP1.3 million ($1.7 million U.S.)  CarBuzz reports that another special edition will be based on the Senna LM, having received an anonymous tip from a reader with one of the cars on order. Called the Senna Can-Am, McLaren would only say that this model was commissioned by a dealer. As the name implies, the coupe celebrates the legendary Can-Am cars that terrorized the series in the late 1960s and 1970s, and that are responsible for giving us the trademark orange hue McLaren remains known for. The Senna Can-Am is a specific homage to the M8B, called "the perfect race car," that started on pole and won all 11 races during the 1967 season with Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme driving. In CarBuzz's rendering, the Can-Am is done up in McLaren orange with Canadian flags on the front fenders, and number roundels on the rear fenders along with the signatures of McLaren and Hulme. Instead of the "LM" logos on the wing endplates and embroidered into the headrests, "Can-Am" appears instead, the M8B's race record appears on the door sills, and a black anodized throttle pedal gets the Can-Am logo. CarBuzz's source said the Senna Can-Am is "due to be delivered in two to four weeks," and cost $1.5 million. The final three special-edition examples (pictured) come from early in the life of the Senna. Beverly Hills managed to acquire three of the experimental prototypes that McLaren used to develop the Senna, and commissioned three builds now known as the Senna XP.

F1 champ Fernando Alonso geared up for rookie run at Indy

NEW YORK - Twice Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso surprised himself with his qualifying success for Sunday's Indianapolis 500, but the Spaniard knows his biggest challenge will come on race day. Alonso, racing on an oval for the first time, averaged more than 230 miles per hour (370 kph) to qualify fifth fastest for a place in the second row in the 33-car field at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "I was a bit surprised," Alonso, 35, told Reuters on Tuesday. "When we announced to come here one month ago, we did it without knowing how competitive we could be, if I was able to adapt to oval racing, to these cars." "I still lack experience in important moments of the race. I will try to compensate with the speed, with motivation and we will see what happens." A lack of experience may cost him on the biggest day of US racing when a champion will be crowned after 200 laps of the massive 2.5-mile oval, but Alonso is geared up for the chance. "You respect the place, respect the speed. You respect your colleagues out there, but at the end of the day, when you are in your car and close the visor, you would like to have one mile per hour more. It's never enough," he said. While Alonso passed the entrance exam with flying colors in qualifying, he knows the hardest test is to come. "The biggest challenge I will face is in the race when you are running in traffic, those groups of cars that form in the race. It changes completely the behavior of the car. "You feel the car very loose... we've been practicing that with the team, trying to create our own groups because we are six cars," Alonso said. "I still lack experience in important moments of the race. I will try to compensate with the speed, with motivation and we will see what happens." GUESSING GAMES Alonso said timing his moves may be a guessing game. "Taking the opportunity to overtake and to pass will be a difficult decision to make," he said. "There are many factors you need to address while you are driving 230 miles per hour. "You have to stay calm, be ready for the last one-third of the race. That is where it comes." Alonso said the race demands a balance between pushing the limit and not crossing the line into recklessness. "With no experience, for me you're not sure sometimes where you are with that line - if you are over the limits of the car, or over the limits of running with the traffic.