McLaren Artura, page #8

Auto blog

Fernando Alonso to retire from F1 at end of season

Double world champion Fernando Alonso will retire from Formula One at the end of the season, his team McLaren said in a statement on Tuesday. The 37-year-old Spaniard is competing in his 17th Formula One season and his fifth with McLaren, and has been widely expected to race in the Indianapolis 500 next year as he attempts to win the Triple Crown of motorsport. Alonso, a double Monaco Grand Prix winner, won the Le Mans 24 Hours on his debut with Toyota in June this year and is ninth in the Formula One drivers' championship standings. "After 17 wonderful years in this amazing sport, it's time for me to make a change and move on," Alonso said. "There are still several grands prix to go this season, and I will take part in them with more commitment and passion than ever." McLaren worked with Andretti Autosport to field a car for Alonso for the 2017 Indy 500 where the Spaniard put himself in contention, leading for 27 laps before suffering an engine failure with 21 laps remaining. McLaren has been exploring the possibility of working again with Andretti to field an IndyCar team to run the entire series next year or might consider putting together their own team. Ryan Hunter-Reay, winner of the 2014 Indy 500 and a team mate of Alonso's with Andretti for the one race, said the Spaniard would be welcomed back and would be a great addition to the series. "It would be appealing to me if I were him," said Hunter-Reay during a conference call ahead of this weekend's IndyCar race at Pocono. "I spent time with him as his teammate and know he's as hungry as ever to win. "We worked very well together and would welcome him, no doubt, but I have no idea where this whole thing is going right now. "I don't know where McLaren stands with it ... a lot of speculation at the moment, but I think he would be a great addition to IndyCar and have a lot of fun here." Alonso thanked Formula One Chief Executive Chase Carey and the sport's owner, Liberty Media, for trying to get him to change his mind and leaving the door open on a possible return to the circuit. "I know (McLaren) will come back stronger and better in the future, and it could be the right moment for me to be back in the series; that would make me really happy," he added. "I made this decision some months ago, and it was a firm one.

2018 McLaren 570GT Sport Pack Drivers' Notes Review | Best of both worlds

The 2018 McLaren 570GT is the "entry-level" McLaren, representing the British automaker's Sport Series and slotting under the Super Series models like the 720S. The 570GT, like all McLarens, uses a twin-turbo V8 and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. In the 570GT, the engine displaces 3.8 liters and makes 562 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. The GT is the twin to the 570S, though for 2018 you can get the GT with the Sport Pack, giving the GT the best of both cars. The $5,950 Sport Pack changes the car's dampers and steering rack, pulling them closer in line with the 570S. The adaptive damping and stability control are tuned the same as on the S model. Our car also comes with carbon-ceramic brakes, Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires, 10-spoke wheels ($6,200), carbon-fiber trim ($3,090) and a 12-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system ($2,280). All in, the car came out to $236,220. Editor-in-chief Greg Migliore: The McLaren 570GT is a brilliant car. It's powerful, has standout design and is one of the reasons McLaren is carving a niche against other European exotics. When the company relaunched its automotive business a decade ago, there were legitimate questions as to why an enthusiast would buy one. Driving this machine on a gorgeous Friday morning with the windows vented, I couldn't help but think that uncertainty has been largely put to rest. Zero to 60 in 3.3 seconds? That feels slow. I pulled up to a stoplight, goosed the throttle and effortlessly hit 60 as I blitzed by dawdling traffic. The brakes are instantaneous and direct. The steering is connected and quick. Tuned for the track, it was more than confidence-inspiring when I had to pull a hard left as another stoplight turned yellow. Oh, and you're so low to the ground. That really hit home when I found myself looking up at a GTI. That's low. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Associate Editor Reese Counts: I like but don't love the 570GT. Yes, it's astoundingly quick. The 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 packs plenty of power. It handles well, with communicative steering and a firm suspension that doesn't punish you over rough pavement. It's relatively practical, too. The interior has a number of small bins, and the luggage shelf above the engine provides an extra bit of storage. Still, it's not enough to win me over. There are a number of little things that bug me.

McLaren names future Hyper-GT the Speedtail

McLaren has announced the official name for its upcoming "Hyper-GT", which it has teased numerous times. The car, designed to beat the original McLaren F1's 243 mph top speed, will be called the Speedtail, according to a statement released by the company on Wednesday; up until now, it has been referred to as the BP23. Earlier, McLaren had disclosed that the car would be known by a proper name "rather than an alphanumeric nomenclature," and Speedtail sounds like a fitting choice. There will only be 106 Speedtails built, and all are already spoken for despite the car's daunting $2.1 million price tag. McLaren says the Speedtail will not only be the fastest McLaren built, but also the most luxurious. Like the legendary F1 of the 1990s, the Speedtail will have a central driving position, where the driver is flanked by passenger seats, but as a sign of the times, the powertrain will be hybrid. All of the Speedtails will be customized to the future owners' tastes by McLaren's Special Operations outfit, and production is slated to begin at late 2019. The 106-car production number is yet another hat-tip to the original McLaren F1. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Image Credit: McLaren Automotive McLaren Videos mclaren automotive mclaren bp23 McLaren Speedtail

First U.S. McLaren Senna has gorgeous green carbon fiber body

The McLaren Senna is one of the hottest cars of 2018. Named after one of the greatest racing drivers, the British automaker's latest and greatest is an immensely fast machine. It certainly looks the part, too, with a giant rear wing, shin walloping front splitter and all manner of other aero aids. Today, McLaren released a batch of images of the first car heading to North America, and it's finished in one of the most beautiful shades of carbon fiber we've ever seen. Some lucky owner in New York City will be taking delivery of a new Senna with emerald green bare carbon-fiber bodywork and a white-leather interior. The car, like all bespoke McLaren models, was customized through McLaren Special Operations. The car bares the MSO logo on the headrests. Nearly every exterior panel is finished in green. McLaren says the bodywork consists of 67 panels and takes nearly 1,000 hours to produce. Other exterior design touches include blue and red wheel locks and ball-polished wheels. The Senna is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 making 789 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque. It can hit 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds and 124 mph in 6.8 seconds. There isn't much mass to move around thanks to a dry weight of just 2,641 pounds. Related Video: Featured Gallery McLaren Senna View 12 Photos News Source: McLaren Design/Style McLaren Coupe Luxury Performance Supercars mclaren senna

Drivers buy new $300K McLaren 720S, 2019 Chevy Corvette, and wreck 'em

Two 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

A 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

We 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

McLaren 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

LISBON, 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

We'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