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McLaren F1 may be resurrected as a three-seat, 700-hp GT car

Nearly 25 years ago, the McLaren F1 was unrivaled on the streets. A screaming BMW V12 pushed that three-seat car to a record-breaking 243 mph. The F1 was faster, more expensive, and more exclusive than any other production car of the era. Even today, few cars have eclipsed it. Now, McLaren is rumored to be working on a successor to what some consider the greatest road car ever built. According to Autocar, McLaren Special Operations, or MSO, is working on building the fastest GT car in the world. The car will draw influence and some cues from the original F1, but it won't be an exact recreation or retro-styled version of that car. The goal is to build the fastest vehicle in the world with three or more seats. It won't be P1 fast, but it also isn't meant to be. The MSO division works on bespoke vehicles for customers. It deals with custom designs, from unique paint colors to one-off models. Autocar reports that a number of customers have requested something a little softer and more luxurious than what McLaren currently offers, and some have asked after a three-setup like the on the original F1. While McLaren's current offerings are fast, they lack some of the more premium touches of some competitors. Since returning to the road-car business, McLaren has been met with both critical and commercial success. All of its vehicles use a shared carbon-fiber crash structure, modified slightly for each vehicle. All are powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8, tuned differently for each vehicle. All of their current cars have traditional a two-seat layout. The new F1 will make use the same 3.8-liter V8, without the hybrid system of the P1, cranking out more than 700 horsepower. That would make it McLaren's second most powerful vehicle. MSO has reportedly been tasked with adapting McLaren's basic carbon-fiber monocage/monocoque for use on a three-seater, with the driver placed directly in the middle. The suspension would be a shared McLaren system, though set a little softer than in other models. The interior, Autocar claims, will be unique to this car. Dihedral doors, bespoke switchgear, and a custom set of luggage will all be present. Every car is expected to be tailored to each owner's preferences. It's not clear when the vehicle would go on sale, though Autocar believes it will be before the end of the decade. Supercars take years to design, and McLaren has an ambitious plan for its future.

Race Recap: 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix is Magyar for 'What a race!'

Every driver on the Formula 1 grid dreams of taking home the silverware, but only one driver each year can do it. Barring disaster in 2015 it looks like it's going to be Lewis Hamilton. The Brit has been so dominating at the front of the grid on Saturday, we can't see how he'll miss out on winning the second annual FIA Pole Position Trophy. That's the accolade introduced last season in another manufactured attempt to give drivers something to work for on Saturday, since the FIA felt leading into the first corner didn't have the pull it used to. Hamilton took his ninth pole of the season in Hungary for Mercedes-AMG Petronas with a crushing lap that put him almost six tenths ahead of his teammate Nico Rosberg in second. All Hamilton needs is one more spot at the top of the grid this season, and he's the Pole Position trophy winner. Thrilling stuff. Behind Rosberg the gaps stayed smaller, Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari a little more than a tenth behind Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo in the Infiniti Red Bull Racing less than four one-hundredths behind Vettel. We feel almost as vexed watching Kimi Raikkonen as he feels driving – he's finally got a good Ferrari, now he can't get a good weekend. The front wing broke on his car in Free Practice 1, then a water leak in Free Practice 3 robbed him of setup time on the soft tire. He lines up in fifth about two tenths behind Ricciardo. The slow, tight Hungaroring didn't agree with the Williams chassis, Valtteri Bottas the first of the Grove team drivers in sixth, his teammate Felipe Massa two places back. Between them is Daniil Kvyat in the second Red Bull in seventh. Teenager Max Verstappen put in a good showing in the Toro Rosso to grab ninth, while Romain Grosjean in a wriggling, squishy, sliding Lotus classified his appearance in Q3 at all as "a miracle." As for the race that followed, we don't expect to see another like it for a long time – it was the real thrilling stuff, one shock after another. The drama began after the first parade lap, when Felipe Massa lined up out of position and the start was aborted. The drivers did another parade lap, then lined up with everyone in place. Mercedes got swamped as soon as the lights went out. Vettel ran around both of them and led the race into the first turn, Raikkonen had come from fifth to third by Turn 1, then got the inside line on Rosberg through Turn 2 to take second place.

Future McLaren cars will be hybrids and autonomous

You may want to look away supercar purists, McLaren views its future as partially electrified and autonomous. Autocar reported today that McLaren's CEO Mike Flewitt wants to bring in hybrid technology for next-generation McLaren sports cars, with the electrified tech baked in from the beginning rather than adding it on after the fact. "Hybrid design is part of the next platform," Flewitt said. "It is designed-in from day one rather than having to adapt an existing chassis." The British manufacturer would even offer hybrid-only models in most product lines, rendering conventional, non-hybrid McLarens as limited editions only. The powertrain in the strongest-selling hybrid cars would feature a turbo V6, reports Autocar. The upcoming BP23 hypercar will already have an electric motor and a battery pack backing up its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. Flewitt also confirms that future McLaren cars will have autonomous capabilities, which is certainly an interesting move by a driver-centric specialty car manufacturer. Flewitt acknowledged this, but noted that "Autonomy in its own right isn't that appealing to our customers, but we need to have capabilities designed in for safety, legislation and emissions." The first model to be replaced with a hybrid successor would be the entry-level 570S, reportedly by next year. The electrification would then continue until the 2022 replacement of the 720S. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: AutocarImage Credit: McLaren Green McLaren Future Vehicles Hybrid Luxury Supercars mclaren automotive