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Drivers buy new $300K McLaren 720S, 2019 Chevy Corvette, and wreck 'em
Tue, Jul 17 2018Two high-powered, high-priced sports cars, wrecked in their infancies. No doubt they were fun while they lasted. In Great Falls, Va., a tony suburb of Washington, D.C., that hugs the Potomac River, someone was out enjoying driving the McLaren 720S they had purchased only the day before on a leafy, two-lane road. Then, horror: In an instant, the car hit a tree, mangled and destroyed "because of speed," according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Purchased Friday. Totaled Saturday. This McLaren 720S, costing around $300,000, was destroyed today in Great Falls because of speed. The driver was taken to the hospital with thankfully only non-life threatening injuries. A reminder to slow down, or it could cost you. pic.twitter.com/XhC3LKRY1t — Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) July 14, 2018 Then on salvage auction site Copart, a brand-new orange 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport lies in a warehouse in Lincoln, Neb., its front left corner crushed, wheel askew. It had just 15 miles on the odometer. We know nothing of the backstory, except for the obvious front-end damage and secondary damage to the undercarriage. The rear end and 6.2-liter V8 engine, which makes 460 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, look OK. The most current bid as this was published was just north of $9,000. It's tempting in both cases to assign the blame to over-eager drivers who weren't quite yet able to corral all that power. In the case of the McLaren, the supercar makes 710 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque from its quad-cam, twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8. It goes from 0-62 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds and boasts a top speed of 212 mph. We're not saying the unidentified driver was a newbie, but this car is definitely not for newbies. Police write that the incident is "A reminder to slow down, or it could cost you." As in, $300,000. Or at least the depreciation for driving it off the lot. Related Video:
McLaren to go full hybrid by 2025 as part of plan for 18 new models and derivatives
Sun, Jul 15 2018A few months ago, McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt provided some insight on the future lineup at the English carmaker. He told Autocar we could expect the next generation of sportscars to feature hybrid powertrains and some measure of self-driving capability. In comments this weekend at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Flewitt appears to expand on and clarify a few aspects from the earlier report, based on updates to the company's business plan. First, instead of the earlier report that the Super Series and Sports Series would go all by hybrid by 2022, that won't actually be complete until 2025. As with the ubiquitous 3.8-liter V8, a single hybrid powertrain will come in different outputs in different models. Flewitt wouldn't confirm whether the hybrid would be based around a V6. He did say, however, that the system is "designed... to have more differentiation than we have had out of the current package," and performance variety would come from tweaking the electric portion of the powerplant, not the ICE. He didn't expand on that point, but that could mean a wider range of driving characteristics within each series, or a greater power spread between series', or both. The carmaker's working on batteries that can do 30 minutes of track use, suggesting a potent pack with a high degree of tunability. The 2025 deadline for hybridization could be due to a rollout of 18 new models and derivatives. Right now, McLaren makes six cars, five in the entry-tier Sports Series, the lone 720S in the Super Series; we don't count the Senna because it's sold out. Even overhauling the entire lineup, and counting the BP23 and the P1 successor in 2025, that still leaves ten new and offshoot models in the next seven years. Whatever they are, they'll help McLaren reach its increased target of 6,000 sales a year by 2025. Flewitt also took the chance to swap the word "autonomy" for "augmentation" when speaking of future driver assistance technology. In the Autocar report, the CEO said the lineup would need autonomous features "designed in for safety, legislation, and emissions." At Goodwood, he recast the driver aids as "'augmentation' technology,'" the focus on helping the driver be better behind the wheel instead of taking the wheel for him. "Imagine," said COO Jens Ludman, "having a virtual coach who could show you how to improve on a track." Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.
2019 McLaren 600LT — lightweight car gets heavyweight price
Wed, Jul 11 2018We now have word on just how much it'll set you back to buy McLaren's latest ultra-lightweight track-ready but road-legal car: The 600LT Coupe starts at $240,000 and includes what the company calls a "Pure McLaren Road Owner Track Day" at a race circuit with expert driving tuition. Order books are now open at dealers. McLaren says the 592-horsepower sports car is its quickest, most powerful and most track-focused but road-legal Sports Series car. With 457 pound-feet of torque, weighing 211.6 pounds less than the 570S and with upgrades to the cooling system of the twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8, it does 0-62 mph in 2.9 seconds, the equivalent of the McLaren 675LT, and 0-128 mph in just 8.2 seconds. Top speed is 204 mph. The car achieves its weight savings through extensive use of carbon fiber, including in the monocoque chassis, which McLaren says is also around 25 percent stiffer than a comparable aluminum chassis, and the use of forged aluminum double wishbones and uprights in the suspension. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. There are two weight-saving packages available from McLaren Special Operations. For an additional $29,370, the MSO Clubsport Pack adds carbon-fiber racing seats, roof and controls, gloss-finished fender louvres and interior parts fitted in carbon fiber like extended gearshift paddles, steering wheel spokes, switch and IRIS display surrounds, plus titanium wheel bolts. The MSO Clubsport Pro Pack, meanwhile, adds an MSO harness bar and six-point harness for track use in choice of black, blue, red or McLaren Orange, and costs $34,600. The carbon-fiber racing seats are also available as a standalone feature for $6,060, and you can add five-spoke ultra-lightweight aluminum alloy wheels as a $4,950 option (the standard is 10-spoke). Production starts in October and will go for around 12 months, with build slots scheduled around existing Sports and Super Series models and the sold-out Senna, Senna GTR and BP23. It makes its debut tomorrow at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 McLaren 600LT View 13 Photos Image Credit: McLaren McLaren Coupe Lightweight Vehicles Racing Vehicles Performance sports car mclaren sports series mclaren 600lt
McLaren 600LT is the latest track-ready McLaren
Thu, Jun 28 2018McLaren has finally revealed its latest hardcore, track-ready sports car. It's the 2019 McLaren 600LT, with the LT standing for "Longtail," a designation that started with the McLaren F1 GTR racecar. According to the company, this is only the fourth car in the company's history to have the name. And like the previous LT models, it features more power, less weight, and a bunch of special performance parts to separate it from its more common brethren. On the power side, McLaren upgraded the twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8's cooling system, and fitted a new exhaust system. That exhaust exits out the top, as shown in teaser images leading to the reveal, and it reduces the amount of back pressure in the system. The upgrades help the engine to make 592 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque. That's an increase of 30 horsepower and 14 pound-feet of torque over the 570S. That may not sound like a huge amount, but remember this car weighs much less than the 570S. In fact, McLaren says the 600LT weighs 211.6 pounds less, which is quite a bit. The weight loss comes from a number of areas. The car features lots of carbon fiber body work, which has also been redesigned to add more downforce. It also lengthens the car by 2.9 inches, earning it the LT name. The new exhaust is lighter, too, in part because it's vastly shorter. McLaren says it's shorter even than the exhaust on the Senna track car. The suspension features forged aluminum components and lighter brakes from the current Super Series (720S) line. It also gets the seats from the McLaren P1. For even more weight loss, buyers can pick a carbon roof, vented front fenders, and the seats from the McLaren Senna as options from McLaren Special Operations. And while we're on the topic of the 600LT's upgrades, it also has a quicker steering rack and stiffer engine mounts. McLaren will begin production of the 600LT this October, and the car will only be built for one year. The company didn't specify a specific number of units, so it will probably build as many as it can or as ordered during the year, and once it's over, there won't be any more. Pricing hasn't been set for the United States, but the company did note that the purchase price will also include a day at the track with professional instruction on how to drive the car. Related Video:
McLaren Senna First Drive Review | What's in a name
Wed, Jun 27 2018LISBON, Portugal — Ferrari owners don't just buy a car, they buy an image of performance and sophistication. Let's be honest: this reflected glory is a primary motivating factor for supercar ownership, and it's great for self-esteem. More to the point, it's sustained Ferrari for the last 70 years. And now McLaren, on a much steeper learning curve, is catching on that supercars need more than just dominating performance figures to reach the next level. If you're going to name your car after Ayrton Senna, it had better be something special. Evidence is provided by the fact that the McLaren Senna isn't just wickedly fast, it puts you in the driving seat of a car named after one of the most revered F1 drivers in history, built by the road car arm of the team that powered him to three championships. Driving it might not make you his equal, but the marketing gold is self-evident. McLaren isn't letting this opportunity slip through its grasp, not least in its choice of launch venue — Estoril circuit outside of Lisbon, the scene of Ayrton Senna's first Grand Prix win back in 1985. The manner of that victory, conducted in pouring rain and seeing him lap all but one of the field, set in place a legend. OK, he did it in a Lotus and not a McLaren. But given how many of the people behind this car also started their careers at Lotus, that's kind of appropriate, too. Thankfully it's not raining when I arrive at Estoril, so we won't be required to display similarly God-given driving talent. That doesn't make it much less intimidating, though. Having had the full technical deep dive, I confess to approaching this drive with a degree of trepidation. Sure, it's road car with street tires, air-con and touchscreen navigation. But 789 horsepower in a car weighing less than 2,900 pounds, fueled and ready to roll? The Senna's 1,764 pounds of downforce at 155 mph is an impressive number, but pretty much an abstract concept unless you live on the track. But its 0-124 mph time, a whole second faster than a hybrid-enhanced P1? That's one to wake you up. Likewise, a track briefing before heading onto the track revealed that our braking point from 180 mph for Estoril's first turn will be 60 feet past what it would be in a 720S. A few reconnaissance laps reveal Estoril to be narrow, technical, and with an odd mix of slow, tight corners and hugely committed high-speed ones. All with authentic, mid-1980s quantities of run-off. Which is to say, not much.
Mclaren 570S-based track car spied at the Nurburgring
Mon, Jun 25 2018We're just a few days away from the reveal of Mclaren's latest car, a track vehicle of some sort, but new spy shots give us a sneak peek at the new car. It's unquestionably based on the McLaren 570S and its Sports Series variants. It also looks like a pretty hardcore machine. We can tell this is the car McLaren has been teasing the last few weeks because it has the same top-mounted exhaust, and the same taillights and extreme diffuser. There are a number of details we weren't able to see in the teaser images, though. A big one is the big rear wing on the back. It's matched by deep side splitters with tall fins for channeling air. And of course there's a deeper front splitter to finish things off. It also appears that the intake scoops on the sides are a bit larger than on the normal 570 models. McLaren hasn't revealed any specifics about this new vehicle. All the company has said is that this will be a serious, no-compromises track car. It's a safe bet that it features a number of suspension upgrades to go along with the aerodynamic changes. It's possible that it has more power, too, just as the 675LT had more power (and a revised name) compared with the 650S. We won't have long to wait for the details, since McLaren will show the car on June 28, and it will be driven at Goodwood on July 12. Related Video: Featured Gallery McLaren Sports Series track car View 18 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Spy Photos McLaren Coupe Performance Supercars mclaren 570s mclaren sports series
McLaren reveals top-exit exhaust of new model, announces launch date
Wed, Jun 13 2018McLaren just released some more tidbits of info about its next car, including a new teaser image. This one explains the lack of the exhaust in the last photo: The exhaust comes out of the top of the engine cover. Two big outlets sit at the back and center of the engine cover, and it looks like they're just ahead of the retractable rear spoiler. They certainly look cool, probably sound cool, and we wouldn't be surprised if there's a performance reason behind this placement. Besides the sneak peek at the exhaust, McLaren made a few broad statements about the car. It said that it will be more powerful and lighter than whatever it's based on.The company also indicated earlier that the car will be very hardcore and uncompromised. From the previous teaser, we're fairly certain the car is based on the Sports Series McLarens that include the 570S, 570GT and 570S Spyder in the U.S., and the 540C in other markets. Since the names of the cars are based on horsepower, and this one will make more than the current 570 models, it probably won't use the 570 moniker. We also won't have to wait too long to see the car revealed. The company will show it off on June 28 at 7 a.m. Eastern time. We'll then get to see it in action when it heads up the hill at Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 12. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Image Credit: McLaren McLaren Coupe Performance Supercars mclaren 570s
FIA introduces 'Hypercar Concept' for World Endurance Championship
Sun, Jun 10 2018One of the most common jabs at hypercars is the question, "Where can you drive them to their potential?" Imagine the answer being: to the checkered flag in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We're not there yet, but the FIA World Motor Sport Council took a step closer to the possibility during its second annual meeting in Manila, the Philippines. One of three initiatives the WSMC announced for the 2020 World Endurance Championship was "Freedom of design for brands based on a 'Hypercar' concept." This "Hypercar concept" would replace LMP1 as the premier class in the WEC. The dream, of course, would be seeing racing versions of the AMG Project One, Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro, Bugatti Chiron, Koenigsegg Regera, McLaren Senna GTR, Pagani Huara BC, and the rest of the gang trading paint and carbon fiber through Dunlop in a heinously expensive version of "Buy on Sunday, sell on Monday." The reality is that we don't have all the details yet on the set of regulations called "GTP," but the FIA wants race cars more closely tied to road cars, albeit with the performance level of today's LMP1 cars. Exterior design freedom would shelter internals designed to reduce costs, the FIA planning to mandate less complex hybrid systems and allow the purchase of spec systems. One of the FIA's primary goals is lowering LMP1 budgets to a quarter of their present levels. Audi and Porsche budgets exceeded $200 million, while Toyota - the only factory LMP1 entry this year and next - is assumed to have a budget hovering around $100 million. Reports indicated that Aston Martin, Ferrari, Ford, McLaren, and Toyota sat in on the development of the proposed class. If the FIA can get costs down to around $25 million, that would compare running a top IndyCar team and have to be hugely appealing to the assembled carmakers. The initiative represents another cycle of the roughly once-a-decade reboot of sports car racing to counter power or cost concerns. The FIA shut down Group 5 Special Production Sports Car class in 1982 to halt worrying power hikes, and introduced Group C. In 1993, Group C came to an ignoble end over costs; manufacturers were spending $15 million on a season, back when that was real money and not one-fifth of a Ferrari 250 GTO. Then came the BPR Global GT Series that morphed into the FIA GT Championship, which would see the last not-really-a-road car take overall Le Mans victory in 1998, the Porsche 911 GT1. That era would be most aligned with a future hypercar class.
New McLaren coming, looks like a high-performance 570S
Wed, Jun 6 2018McLaren has a new model coming out soon, and to announce it, the automaker released the above teaser image and the below teaser trailer. Though there isn't much detail in the announcement, we can tell a fair amount from what the company did release. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. First of all, the car in the image looks like a variant of the current Sports Series McLarens, which include variations on the 570S. This is based on the taillight design. It's probably a high-performance version, too. The image shows this model has a far more aggressive diffuser, a new air outlet on the edges of the bumper behind the rear tires, and no visible exhaust tips. We do know that this car has some sort of internal combustion engine, though, since the trailer features a high-pitched, urgent exhaust note. Further evidence of the high-performance nature of this McLaren comes in the phrasing used on the promotional website. It uses phrases such as "raw and uncompromised," "total focus," "pure adrenaline," and "the edge is calling." This is definitely some sort of extra fast, probably track-oriented McLaren 570. Maybe it will be called McLaren 570 GTR. Only time will tell, and how much time is also a mystery, since McLaren simply said the car is "coming soon." Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Image Credit: McLaren McLaren Coupe Performance Supercars mclaren 570s mclaren sports series
McLaren 675LT gets paint scheme from its dad
Fri, Jun 1 2018The McLaren 675LT was designed as a lighter, faster version of the 650S, and it gained a lengthened tail section, hence the LT designation. This longer design was partly inspired by the McLaren F1 GTR "longtail." That race car also featured a longer body. One 675LT customer decided bodywork wasn't enough of a connection to the famous '90s racer, so he commissioned the race-inspired paint scheme you see above. The paint job is a rendition of the 1997 Le Mans GT1 class-winning F1 GTR, which sported a livery based on main sponsor Gulf Oil. It's not a simple design, and it's one that McLaren completely painted. There are no stickers here. And it took a lot of work to complete. McLaren says the whole car took 1,000 hours to finish, and 800 of them were spent on the paint. The company even had to ask Gulf Oil permission to use the color scheme again. But the end result is a convincing facsimile of the old race car, particularly with those almost glowing orange wheels. Aside from the striking paint, the car has a few exterior changes. It has vented front fenders, a more prominent roof scoop, and a visible carbon-fiber rear air brake. Inside, the car features black upholstery with contrasting orange and blue stitching, orange vent surrounds and seat belts, and blue handling and powertrain switchgear. The only things left unchanged are the performance numbers. It doesn't weigh any less than a normal model. It also makes the same 666 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque as the regular 675LTs. But that should still be plenty of fun to play with, and surely the paint job makes it feel a lot faster. Related Video: Featured Gallery McLaren 675LT Gulf Livery View 10 Photos Image Credit: McLaren McLaren Coupe Supercars gulf mclaren 675lt mclaren f1 gtr