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McLaren Speedtail revealed — it's a silver speeding bullet

The McLaren Speedtail hypercar is finally here, and it's a streamlined stunner. The whole car is slicker than a bar of soap, and everything about it is there to make it the fastest McLaren road car in history — a combination of sophisticated design and astonishing speed. Grilles and air intakes are kept small and out of the way. It has a long tapering tail. The front wheels have large, smooth carbon-fiber aero-covers that remain fixed as the wheels rotate, to smooth out turbulence from the wheels. Ducts and air passages are all designed to further reduce turbulence, and of course that's the point of the long tail. Air flow for the engine comes from a snorkel intake that is so minimal you can't even see it in profile. Some of the particularly curious parts are the patented rear active spoilers. The flaps appear to not have any kind of joint or gap where they lift. The cockpit is suitably futuristic and unique, too. As the company had previously mentioned, the seat is in the center, as with the old McLaren F1 road car. Immediately in front of the driver is the steering wheel and a main screen for instruments, and to either side are additional screens for other information and interfaces. At the base of either pillar are two smaller screens which are connected to cameras that substitute side mirrors for less drag — and for even less drag, the cameras can be retracted. In what seems like a nod to airplanes, key controls, knobs and switches are above the driver on the ceiling — even the gear select buttons are up there. McLaren revealed its ultimate Ultimate Series car on Friday, offering details only hinted at before. The car almost looks more like a land-speed-record car than a road car. The automaker says the Speedtail is its most aerodynamic creation ever, and that this was its "singleminded vision" — not hard to believe, looking at it: "A jaw-dropping elongated body makes it as much a work of art as a masterpiece of technology." Seen from above, the overall car and its passenger compartment are shaped like a teardrop, which McLaren calls the fastest shape in nature. And indeed this is McLaren's fastest car. Its hybrid powertrain puts out over 1,000 horsepower. (McLaren rates it as 1,035 bhp, so horsepower is just under 1,050.) We applaud the press-release writer's use of the word relentless here: "The hybrid powertrain enables a relentless increase in vehicle speed. ..." Top speed is 250 mph — exceeding the F1's 243 mph.

Ken Block's Gymkhana 8 to feature Dubai Police cars?

Yesterday we showed you the shiny Ford Fiesta that Ken Block will slide, spin, and hoon through the next Gymkhana video. In case the image above isn't clear, that video will drop at midnight EST on February 30th on the Ford Performance YouTube channel. We don't know all the entire premise of the video yet, but this Tweet from the man himself reveals that the video will be set in Dubai. Block is standing on the Fiesta we saw yesterday, and arrayed behind him are a handful of those famous Dubai Police cars you're probably familiar with. The force has a fleet of sportscars and supercars, and the purpose is outreach and goodwill among its citizenry, not necessarily the pursuit of criminals. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. From left to right, we can see a Maserati GranTurismo, Porsche 911, what looks to be a Nissan GT-R obscured by Block's Fiesta, a McLaren (likely a 650S), Ford Mustang, and a Ferrari 599 of some ilk. Will they take part? Maybe Block will try and run from what might be the most horsepower-intensive police fleet in the world. We'll have answers (and a few minutes of pure Block hooniganism) in a few days. Related Video:

McLaren F1 GTR Longtail sells at Gooding for $5.28 million

Last month we reported on a very rare McLaren being put up for auction under the auspices of Gooding & Company. One of only 106 examples of the McLaren F1 ever made, one of only 28 made in GTR competition spec, and one of just ten longtail versions, chassis number 021R won FIA GT Championship races in Germany and Finland, making it one of the most successful F1 GTRs ever campaigned and earning its place in the pantheon of McLaren lore. With original livery in immaculate condition, this rare McLaren F1 GTR Longtail sold this weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona, for $5.28 million. Which may seem like a lot of money – and by any account, it surely is – but comes in at the low end of the pre-sale estimates that placed its value at between $5 and $7 million. To put that into proper McLaren perspective, consider that the same amount could buy you a full grid of ten 12C Can-Ams, five examples of the new McLaren P1, or probably get McLaren to build you your own custom creation like the X1. Check out the live images from the scene in the gallery above. Featured Gallery 1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail View 28 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2014 Drew Phillips / AOL McLaren Auctions Coupe Racing Vehicles mclaren f1 gtr