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McLaren will return to IndyCar racing full-time after 40 years

LONDON — McLaren will return to full-time IndyCar racing in 2020 in partnership with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and Chevrolet, the British company announced on Friday. The move could give Spaniard Fernando Alonso, the double Formula One world champion who remains under contract to McLaren, another chance to win the Indianapolis 500 even if the Spaniard is not interested in a full season. The existing team will be renamed Arrow McLaren Racing SP, competing with two Chevrolet-powered cars and a possible third entry for Indianapolis. Former Indy 500 winner Gil de Ferran, the sporting director of McLaren Racing, will lead a dedicated group independent of the Formula One team. McLaren last competed full-time in the IndyCar championship in 1979. "We come to IndyCar in full respect of the sport, our competitors, the fans and the task ahead," said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. "It's definitely a very integrated partnership, technically, managerially and commercially," he told a conference call. He said McLaren, which faces a likely record 22 race season in Formula One in 2020 and are also contemplating a world endurance involvement from 2021 when the rules change to hypercars, were not biting off more than they could chew. McLaren has been mulling a full IndyCar campaign for some time, its decision influenced by failure to qualify Alonso for this year's Indianapolis 500 as a one-off entry. Brown said Alonso, who left Formula One at the end of last year, still wanted to win Indianapolis and McLaren wanted to do so with him. "He has not shown to date interest in competing in a full season," he added. "(For) Fernando, or someone else potentially, we would consider a third car entry at Indy only." Canadian James Hinchcliffe is committed through 2020 with Schmidt Peterson while Swedish former F1 driver Marcus Ericsson will be out of contract at the end of the year. Alonso wants to become only the second driver after the late Briton Graham Hill to win the "Triple Crown of Motorsport" and has already won the Monaco Grand Prix and Le Mans 24 Hours. Indianapolis is the only remaining race to win. This year's Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud told Reuters last weekend that Alonso's best chances of success at The Brickyard would be either by doing a full season or racing with an experienced team.

Is this McLaren's anticipated 570S GT?

McLaren is planning an additional body style for its new Sports Series. The British supercar manufacturer told us that before we drove the new 570S coupe in Portugal last month. And now we're seeing the prototype for that new version undergoing testing. Woking introduced the Sports Series in coupe form this year and will follow up with the convertible in 2017. This new version is expected to arrive in between, sometime in the second quarter of the new year. The big question is just what form this bodystyle will take. At the launch, McLaren spokesman Wayne Bruce confirmed the variant will still use the same mid-engined layout and carbon monocoque chassis as the company's other cars. He also discounted the possibility of a more extreme speedster (like it did with the Mercedes SLR), and confirmed that a longtail version like the 675LT would not, in the company''s estimation, be considered a distinct bodystyle. Based on earlier reports of ideas being thrown around Frank Stephenson's design studio, and from what we're seeing here, it appears that the new addition will be some sort of GT version. The modified roofline would seem to be incorporating a larger luggage compartment, enhancing the prospect of driving the sports car on a daily basis. We can expect this new model to be mechanically identical to the existing coupe. That means a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 driving 562 horsepower (in 570S spec) to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Related Video:

McLaren teases 6 bespoke versions of its 570GT

McLaren fans, have a look at this: The luxury brand says it's offering six bespoke 570GT models from its McLaren Special Operations division to select buyers in the U.K., Germany and the Netherlands. The models, finished in "XP Green" exterior paint, are inspired by traditional British automotive colors and a Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 XP GT. The exterior paint scheme is the same color as the F1 XP GT "Longtail" model built in 1997. It also gets Saddle Tan aero pin striping on the front aero blades, side skirts and rear diffuser, plus door striping in the same color that extends to the rear from a subtle Union Jack emblem finished in silver-grey. Under the hood, the sports car boasts a 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged McLaren V8 that delivers 562 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, same as the 570GT Coupe. It goes 0-60 in 3.3 seconds. The F1 XP GT won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995 on its first attempt. McLaren later developed the Longtail version, marked by its extended rear bodywork and deep bottle-green paint finis, now reserved for bespoke commissions. The company says the MSO content in each coupe is identical and adds 21,000 pounds (U.S. $26,000) to the final price of the vehicle, which will range depending on options chosen. For example, one package that includes a By McLaren Designer interior and an upgrade pack, including vehicle lift, rear view camera and premium audio system, brings the price tag to the equivalent of $225,373. Upset you missed out on this offering? Don't be. The company says it's responsive to demands for more personalization and additional color and trim choices. "As well as making it possible for individual McLaren owners to have exactly the McLaren they want, McLaren Special Operations will continue to create limited-volume collections such as these six 570GT models in XP Green, to further extend customer choice," said Jolyon Nash, McLaren Automotive Executive Director, Global Sales and Marketing.