2014 Mp4-12c Spider 50th Anniversary Special Edition on 2040-cars

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McLaren won't offer 540C in United States

McLaren launched its new entry-level Sports Series in New York with the 570S, and followed up in Shanghai with the more affordable 540C. However we can now confirm that the 540C won't be offered in the United States. In correspondence with Autoblog (and following rampant speculation circulating the Internet), McLaren spokesman Wayne Bruce confirmed: "Following a series of previews in which interest from American customers has been exclusively in the 570S, we will now concentrate on only this model for the launch of Sports Series in the US to satisfy demand." That means the 570S will remain (for the time being at least) the most affordable model – if a term has ever been more relative – McLaren will offer in the US, priced at $184,900. We can also expect additional versions of the Sports Series to follow, including a roadster and a third bodystyle as well. The cheaper 540C won't be kept out of North America altogether, though: it will be offered in Canada. North of the Border, the 540C is priced at $196,500 Canadian (equivalent to about $158k at current exchange rates), with the 570S going for $219,750 Canadian (~$177k). Related Video:

McLaren's new hybrid sports car caught in fresh spy photos

Our spies caught McLaren testing its upcoming hybrid sports car on the street, catching it from just about every angle. Unofficially dubbed the HPH (for High Performance Hybrid), the Unfortunately, it didn't tell us anything we hadn't heard before. Earlier this month, McLaren released a couple of photos of a lightly camouflaged test car that gave us our best look to date at the new hybrid undergoing development, but the photos provided Monday are far more numerous and detailed.  Despite using a new carbon fiber passenger cell and a hybrid V6 engine, the new sports car looks a whole lot like the outgoing McLaren Sports Series models (570S, 620R, et al). The headlights are a very similar shape, particularly with the similar headlights, radiator intake locations and roofline. The roof almost looks unchanged, down to its flying buttress sections. There are differences, though. It looks like a lot of the lower grille area at the front has been blocked off. The headlights look more sunken in, a bit like on the Super Series 720S. The radiator intakes are more open. And at the back, the exhaust now juts out high up in the grille between the taillights. Those taillights have much less of an arc to them, and a different illumination pattern. The new hybrid McLaren will be revealed in the first half of 2021. It will have a V6 engine, reportedly twin-turbocharged, and McLaren's CEO says it will have "an all-electric range capable of covering most urban journeys." Reports suggest a range of 21 miles. This of course suggests it will be a plug-in hybrid. It's expected to make more than 570 horsepower combined, too. As for the Sports Series the hybrid is replacing, the last examples will be the 620R special edition cars. Related Video:

2015 McLaren 650S Spider Beauty-Roll

For those of you paying attention, we've really ramped up the Autoblog video game lately. Our new series Car Club USA joins Translogic, and The List, and there are more Daily Drivers and Short Cuts than ever. But sometimes, all you care about is the car. The Autoblog Beauty-Roll video series has one goal: bring you glossy video images of cars, and nothing but. We're collecting moving pictures of all the cars we test, inside and out. Each episode comes with a hit of engine sound – start-up and with a few revs – to round out the package. Set your resolution to max, kick it into full-screen, turn up the sound, and enjoy today's subject, the 2015 McLaren 650S Spider.