McLaren MP4-12C, page #10

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FIA introduces 'Hypercar Concept' for World Endurance Championship

One 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

McLaren 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

The 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

Silverados, Raptors and a 710 horsepower McLaren | Autoblog Podcast #542

On this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale. We talk about driving the new engines in the upcoming 2019 Chevy Silverado, updates to the Ford F-150 Raptor and a purple McLaren 720S that briefly passed through our office. As always, we also help a listener buy a new car in our "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #542 Your browser does not support the audio element. Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we've been driving: Chevy Silverado, McLaren 720S Ford F-150 Raptor Updates Best food for road trips Spend my money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Podcasts Chevrolet Ford McLaren Truck Coupe Performance Supercars ford f-150 raptor mclaren 720s

We spec a McLaren Senna supercar with MSO

A rarely considered similarity between hypercars: poor or nonexistent configurators. The Ferrari LaFerrari configurator let you choose between three colors. Bugatti once let you change the colors and wheels on the Chiron, but no more. McLaren didn't bother with a configurator for the P1. Only the digital playground built for the Porsche 918 Spyder bucked the trend. That's likely because as soon as an MSRP requires two commas, shoppers become "clients," and clients deserve hosts in Hermes to help them navigate the party. No supercar better demonstrates this trend than the McLaren Senna. And, it just so happens, McLaren invited Autoblog to Beverly hills to roleplay as one of the 15 LA-area residents who bought Sennas. I'd be assisted in the act by two MSO Bespoke Liaison Managers – Katie Newell and Emily Monk – who were on an international jaunt shepherding actual buyers through the process. MSO doesn't send the duo on global tour dates for every offering, only the limited, special ones. When I asked what the personal service accomplishes, McLaren said, "The benefit of working directly with a MSO Bespoke Liaison Manager to spec your car is that they are deeply familiar with the ins and outs of the vehicle, and understand how different fit, finishes and options will interact together. They also understand what is feasible from an engineering, manufacturing and paint perspective given the years of experience they have building P1, 720S, etc." Boiled down, that means institutional knowledge, and they also know when to propose curbing your egregious enthusiasms. There will be no whale penis leather here, thank you, now let's move on. Ultimately, a configurator is a configurator – the mechanics of selection and dialogue boxes apply equally to cars, dress shirts, and pizza. The difference with the Senna is in having oh-so-many-more dialogue boxes, as well as two Ye Olde Worlde assistants, champagne, and petits-fours. And this comes before one casts about for unique electives. I heard a client from a previous car sent half a hair dryer to be color-matched – just the kind of fantastic eccentricity I expect from the word "bespoke". An MSO briefcase on the table in front of me provided abundant starting points: exterior paint swatches, carbon fiber colors, stitch types and thread colors, laser-etched accelerator pedals, different finishes for the rather large key, a sample of the 24-carat gold engine bay heat shield.

Like dragons? The 2018 McLaren 570GT Cabbeen Collection is for you!

McLaren must be doing good business with its McLaren Special Operations (MSO) special edition supercars because it has just released another, and like with the Canada Commission, this one takes its inspiration from a specific country, namely China. It's called the 2018 McLaren 570GT Cabbeen Collection, and was developed in conjunction with a Chinese fashion designer simply referred to as Mr. Cabbeen. We suspect that it received the name "collection" because of the connection to fashion, despite the special edition being just one model. The 570GT Cabbeen Collection is instantly recognizable by its black paint scheme with gold wheels, gold brake calipers and gold dragons painted in the intake scallops. It does revive memories of the garish Jeep Wrangler Dragon Edition, but the McLaren is admittedly much more tasteful. It also boasts some fine craftsmanship, since the dragons are hand painted. Inside, the theme continues with gold dragons embroidered into the center tunnel and the cargo area. They are done in an embroidery style specific to China known as Chao, and they were put in by the Director of the Professional Embroidery Committee of China's Arts and Crafts Institute ( now that's a job - Ed.). This is all a far cry from cheap stickers and color-coordinated stitching. Unlike the McLaren 570S Spider Canada Commission, the 570GT Cabbeen Collection will be available globally. But if you want one, speak up quickly, because only five will be built. Pricing was not revealed, but expect something well into the six figures. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 McLaren 570GT MSO Cabbeen Collection Image Credit: McLaren Beijing Motor Show McLaren Coupe Supercars mclaren special operations mso mclaren 570gt

McLaren 570S Spider Canada Commission is for our northern neighbors

McLaren's MSO custom division seems to stay quite busy. Every few months they seem to have a new special configuration to offer buyers. Sometimes they're a bit silly or unimpressive, but other times they create something really unique and cool. This McLaren 570S Spider falls into the latter category. It's called the Canada Commission, and the company will build just five of them exclusively for our northern neighbors. What makes it a Canadian Commission is primarily the unique color scheme. It's painted white, and the various carbon fiber accents are finished with a translucent red finish. In addition, it has white accent stripes along the side sills and on the rear diffuser. A white maple leaf appears on the back ahead of the spoiler, and on either side sill where the car's typical "570S" logo would go. Inside the custom Canadian contraption are even more white and red accents amidst the black interior. The headliner is red as is the steering wheel. On the top of the steering wheel is a white stripe indicating the 12 o'clock position. There are other maple leaf accents scattered about the interior, too. As we mentioned, the Canada Commission 570S Spider is just for Canadians. Three examples will go to McLaren's Toronto dealer, and one each will go to the Montreal and Vancouver locations. It will also cost just over $353,000 Canadian, which comes to about $280,000 American. That's over $70,000 more than a plain roadster. But hey, it's really exclusive, and a pretty cool custom edition. We're sure McLaren won't have trouble selling them. Related Video: Image Credit: McLaren Design/Style McLaren Convertible Performance Supercars mclaren special operations mso mclaren 570s spider

McLaren EV supercar: Here's the math that says it's 5-10 years off

It emerged last December that McLaren had built an all-electric testbed for a future EV supercar, to go along with the English automaker's $1.4 billion investment in electrified powertrains. But as we told you a few weeks ago, McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt said that such a car was, as a practical matter, years away from production. Now COO Jens Ludmann has put some numbers to the carmaker's quest, saying, "[The] Senna has 800 PS [Pferdestarke] on 1,200 kg, that's about the power to weight that we're looking for." He's talking about 789 horsepower in a package lighter than a base Honda Civic Coupe. The issue isn't energy capacity, it's energy density. Said Ludmann, "[The] battery technology should achieve 500 watt-hours per kilogram. That is a level where it really makes sense. Today we are around 180 watt-hours per kilogram." McLaren Engineering provides batteries for Formula E rated at 216 Wh/kg, but those packs aren't suitable for a consumer road car. According to what the company's learned from the battery industry, we're 5 to 10 years away from 500 watt-hours per kilogram for a roadworthy vehicle. In 2015 Rimac unveiled a battery it made for the Koenigsegg Regera. Said to be the most energy-dense car battery at the time, it boasted a power-to-weigh ratio of 60 Wh/kg. Figure that the battery industry's adding 40 Wh/kg per year — which gets us from 2015 to Ludmann's 180 Wh/kg current state of affairs. Using that measure, we're 8-10 years away from 500 Wh. McLaren wants its theoretical EV owner to be able to do 30 minutes or 10 hard laps at the track, be "as exciting as a 675LT," and recharge in 30 minutes for another half-hour track session. That battery would need exceptionally high energy density, and the cells and electronics would need to stand up to constant high power output and extreme discharge cycles. To enable that with today's battery tech, you'd end up with a vehicle that could do 500 miles in everyday road use, be far too heavy for McLaren's aims, and take far too long to charge. Ludmann told Wheels magazine everything else about the EV supercar is "all resolved — easy." While we dig in for what could be a lengthy wait, we'll have to be satisfied with the McLaren hybrids that should start showing up in a couple of years. Related Video:

McLaren 570S Spider gets new lightweight track pack for $24,000

The McLaren 570S Spider is one of the most versatile sports cars around. It's fast, comfortable and practical, but it's slightly less capable from the factory than its fixed-roof brethren. McLaren is changing that with a new lightweight track pack. It's similar to the one on the 570S Coupe and shaves nearly 73 pounds from the car. That said, at more than $24,000, it's not exactly the cheapest way to go on a diet. According to McLaren, 10 percent of 570S coupe owners opt for the track pack. Carbon fiber is the name of the game here. Inside, Alcantara-wrapped carbon-fiber seats shave 29 pounds from the car. These are paired with a Alcantara steering wheel with carbon-fiber spokes and shift paddles. The doors, center console, and infotainment system all have carbon-fiber trim, too. All track pack models are fitted with McLaren's Track Telemetry system. On the outside, the 570S Spider track pack gets a Dark Palladium-painted roof and lightweight 10-spoke forged alloy wheels with Pirelli P-Zero Corsa summer tires. Those wheels save 33 pounds in total. Customers can option some carbon-fiber trim pieces, too. The 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 breathes a little easier thanks to a new titanium exhaust system. McLaren doesn't say how much power it adds, but it should at least make the car a little louder. Related Video: Featured Gallery McLaren 570S Spider Track Pack Design/Style McLaren Convertible Luxury Performance mclaren 570s mclaren 570s spider

Here are this year's top 5 automaker April Fools’ jokes

April 1 is the wonderful day when PR departments really push themselves to top the zany jokes they came up with the previous year. And it's not just fast-food chains competing with each other, or breweries announcing they have released stuff like a fermented herring flavored beer: carmakers' media teams rarely miss out on the opportunity to play a little joke on their audience. Here are a few of our favorites from this year:1) Porsche Porsche announced that it's launching a Mission E tractor, styled to resemble its 1950s tractor models. "With a power output in excess of 700hp, the Mission E Tractor will be the fastest accelerating agricultural vehicle in the world, enabling farmers to harvest crops in record time with the added environmental benefits of zero emissions at source and significantly reduced operating noise."2) Lexus Lexus actually jumped the gun, telling us on March 28 that it's combining cars and drivers using DNA matching. The kicker was that with DNA-matched cars, owners would be able to start their Lexuses by licking the steering wheel.3) McLaren Automotive McLaren said it's boosting efficiency by quite eccentric measures, such as measuring the technology center's lake and floor tiles daily, and by synchronizing the staff's tea breaks.4) BMW Motorrad BMW's motorcycle arm is solving parts availability issues in remote locations by offering a 3D printer mounted permanently on the bike's rack: If you need to replace a broken-off gear lever, you can just print one. "The new system will mean that even very rarely required parts not generally stocked by BMW Motorrad sales partners can be supplied on a just-in-time basis." BMW even went to the lengths of announcing that the "BMW Motorrad iPart 3D Mobile Printer" was tested on the Antarctic, by erecting a tent whose poles were produced onsite.5) Honda Last but not least, Honda UK purportedly cut the roof off a new CR-V, calling it the CR-V Roadster. Tellingly, no convertible top was even offered for the concept, "making it a no-top rather than a drop-top. This innovative design makes it a vehicle purely for sunnier climates and therefore completely useless for the two-day British summer which traditionally occurs in May."Related Video: Featured Gallery Top 5 April Fools 2018 Image Credit: Porsche Green Humor Weird Car News BMW Honda Lexus McLaren Porsche bmw motorrad mclaren automotive