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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:

The McLaren 765LT is even quicker than we thought

We have good news and bad news for those who happily find themselves in the market for a brand-new supercar. We'll start with the good: The McLaren 765LT is even quicker than initially announced. According to the British automaker, the 765LT will run from 0-124 mph (a nice, round 200 kilometers per hour) in seven seconds flat. Sure, that's a scant 0.2 seconds quicker than previously claimed, but in the world of supercars, a couple of tenths is a major achievement. McLaren further claims a 0-60 time of 2.7 seconds and a 9.9-second quarter-mile time, which is impressive no matter which way you slice it. So is its 205-mph top speed, courtesy of a 755-horsepower twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine. Now for the bad news: If you haven't already obtained a guaranteed order from McLaren, you're out of luck. The automaker says it will produce 765 units for 2020, and they are fully allocated. Along with those two nuggets, McLaren says it's also showing off some MSO-customized examples of the 765LT to buyers. Two themes have so far been unveiled, the first of which is called Strata (above left). It's "inspired by a city skyline and realized in a three-color design requiring 390 hours of hand painting and finishing," the automaker says. The Azores orange, Memphis Red and Cherry black scheme carries on into the interior, as well. The second theme is called GEOHEX and features Tarmac Black and Tokyo Cyan paint inspired by a 3D honeycomb. A large array of carbon fiber elements inside and out reportedly complete the look. Sadly, we don't have pictures of this finish, but we're sure those will eventually leak out. Buyers who really love carbon fiber, though, may prefer the MSO Bespoke Carbon Fiber Body treatment (above right). One car has already been produced with a glossy finish, but McLaren says it can also tint the visual carbon with a number of colored finishes.

McLaren Senna GTR LM cars created by MSO to honor the F1 GTR's Le Mans success

The McLaren Special Operations division has outdone themselves again. Today, we get to present to you five McLaren Senna GTRs that were commissioned in a group. Their design and liveries are meant to re-create the five McLaren G1 GTRs that raced in the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. McLaren took first place in that race, with the remaining four cars finishing third, fourth, fifth and 13th.  These five Senna GTRs are much more than just Senna GTRs with stickers on them, too. The (faithfully re-created) liveries were hand-painted on every one of the cars. McLaren says each car took approximately 800 hours to paint, with some taking far more than that. All five are kept as close to the originals as possible, as McLaren coordinated with the Le Mans organizer to get permission to re-create every last detail of the logos and trademarks on the cars. The only sticker you’ll find on the exterior is a replica of the scrutineering sticker. It isnÂ’t just the appearance that received all the attention, though. McLaren has found a way to give the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 a small power boost. It went from making 814 horsepower to 833 horsepower. The rev limit has also increased from 8,250 rpm to nearly 9,000 rpm. This is accomplished through metal matrix composite valve spring retainers (65% lighter), higher grade steel for the valve springs and CNC ported cylinder heads. A recalibration of the whole powertrain takes advantage of these new parts, leading to the increase in power. Small changes abound elsewhere in the car, too. OZ Racing designed a bespoke set of wheels for these cars; the suspension wishbones are made in an anodized version of their previous selves, and the brake calipers are finished in satin gold. New exit pipes are bent for the Inconel exhaust (for a new look), and the interior gets a small work over, too. ThereÂ’s a new racing steering wheel with anodized gold paddles and control buttons, titanium nitride pedals, carbon fiber racing seats with a bespoke headrest embroidery, leather door pull straps and an MSO six-point racing harness. WeÂ’re afraid to know the prices for these five cars, but we wonÂ’t know anyway, because McLaren hasnÂ’t released that information. All five owners will be allowed to take a lap of Circuit de la Sarthe on the day of the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans, which only seems right given their Le Mans re-creation provenance. 

McLaren's global headquarters could be yours for $256 million

McLaren is giving rich enthusiasts and affluent investors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of its most valuable tangible assets: its headquarters. Before you launch a GoFundMe campaign, keep in mind the next owner will be obligated to lease the property back to the carmaker for an undermined amount of time. Hit hard by the on-going coronavirus pandemic, McLaren commissioned Canadian real estate firm Colliers to sell its headquarters for GBP200 million, a sum that represents approximately $256 million at the current conversion rate. It's interesting to note the facility is worth about 13 times as much as a 1994 F1 LM-Specification. Located in Woking, which is about an hour from London, the property includes the McLaren Technology Center, the McLaren Production Center (where road cars are manufactured), and the McLaren Thought Leadership Center. There is also a small man-made lake, parking lots, several picturesque acres of grass, and thousands of trees. McLaren isn't moving. It will remain in Woking, but it will lease its headquarters from the person or company that purchases it. Details about the transaction, like how long the firm will lease the property for and how much it will spend per month, haven't been made public, unsurprisingly. However, it's reasonable to assume there will be a clause stipulating the next owner can't kick McLaren out to plant alfalfa or to open a Texas-style ranch. Executives are analyzing other ways to make money, reduce expenses, or both in the coming months. McLaren cut 1,200 jobs in May 2020, and it announced it sold only 307 cars between February and May, down from 953 the previous year. It secured a $185 million boost from the oil-rich National Bank of Bahrain, yet unverified rumors claim it's considering selling a relatively small stake in its Formula One team in order to free additional cash. Sale-and-leaseback deals aren't what we'd call common in the automotive industry, but McLaren's move isn't unprecedented. In 2012, PSA Peugeot-Citroen sold its historic headquarters on Avenue de la Grande Armee in the heart of Paris for about $327 million to raise cash; it still leases the building in 2020. And, in January 2004, troubled British carmaker MG Rover sold most of its Longbridge, England, site to a property developer with plans to rent it. It signed a 35-year contract, and optimistically added a renewal clause, but it shut down in April 2005. Earnings/Financials McLaren

This is McLaren's new carbon fiber tub it will use for future hybrid supercars

Look! It’s a big hunk of carbon fiber! Specifically, itÂ’s McLarenÂ’s new hunk of carbon fiber, and itÂ’s high tech to the max. McLaren says this new structure will be the basis of all hybrid supercars it produces in the future, with the first of those launching in 2021. ThereÂ’s no fancy name for the new architecture yet. “MonoCell” was McLarenÂ’s name for the previous chassis, and it was introduced for the 12C many years ago. The new chassis is a clean sheet redesign that was designed “specifically to accommodate new hybrid powertrains.” McLaren developed it in-house at its Composites Technology Center. The chassis are molded and put together at this tech center, then transported 173 miles to McLarenÂ’s production facility in Woking, Surrey. Once there, the rest of the vehicle is assembled around it. McLaren boasts of “world-first processes” that allow them to strip out excess mass while also improving safety attributes, but specific details are still light on the ground. “This new, ultra-lightweight carbon fibre chassis boasts greater structural integrity and higher levels of quality than ever before with our new MCTC facility quickly becoming recognized as a global center of excellence in composite materials science and manufacturing,” says Mike Flewitt, CEO of McLaren. If you were curious about how McLaren goes about making the carbon fiber tub, itÂ’s included a convenient flow chart to follow. WeÂ’ve pasted it below. Related Video:

Driving the McLaren GT, Audi S7 and Vintage Electric Cafe bicycle | Autoblog Podcast #639

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by West Coast Editor James Riswick and Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. This week, they've been having some fun in the McLaren GT and the Toyota 86 GT. James has spent some time with the very lovely Vintage Electric Cafe e-bike. They've also been driving the Ford Ranger and Audi S7. In the news, Ford gets new leadership, and Micro Machines are back, baby! Autoblog Podcast #639 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 Reviews 2020 McLaren GT 2020 Toyota 86  Vintage Electric Cafe e-bike 2020 Ford Ranger 2020 Audi S7 New Ford CEO Jim Farley faces immediate challenges Micro Machines are back in stores, including the famous Super Van City Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

McLaren gets a $185 million boost

DUBAI — British supercar manufacturer McLaren Group, which includes its Formula One team, has arranged a 150 million pound ($185.2 million) financing facility with the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB), the Gulf bank said on Monday. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the company hard, with sales plunging during a factory shutdown. It announced 1,200 layoffs in May. "Final documentation has been signed and all the necessary approvals have been granted in relation to a ... 150 million (pound) financing facility," NBB said. Bahrain sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat Holding Co is the majority shareholder in McLaren Group, with a 56% stake. Mumtalakat also holds a 44.06% stake in NBB while the government of Bahrain holds a 10.85% stake. McLaren's Formula One future was never in doubt despite the cash crisis, team principal Andreas Seidl said on Tuesday. "It was a tough period for the team, steering a team through these financial difficulties we were in," Seidl told reporters. "The positive news we had yesterday about the funding which is in place now, is I think an extra boost, an extra motivation for all of us who are fully focused again on what we like to do most and what we do best." McLaren was the first team to furlough staff, with drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz also taking pay cuts, and the team also went through layoffs, a move that also reflects Formula One's 2021 budget cap. "With me and (McLaren Racing Chief Executive) Zak (Brown) having detailed knowledge of what was actually going on ... there was never a doubt of McLaren not being on the grid next year," said Seidl. The financial issues had not affected this season, he added, with regular performance upgrades planned. While some infrastructure projects had been put on hold, Seidl said he was pushing to get them going again although McLaren still had to be cautious due to uncertainty over how many races there would be and the impact on revenues. The German suggested some headlines that triggered alarm, with talk of mortgaging historical cars and the McLaren headquarters building in Woking, England, or selling a minority stake in the team, reflected McLaren's search for the best possible option in terms of funding. "(It was) finding the right funding which would not only get us through this crisis but also put us in the best possible position to be competitive in the future. So I am very happy with the news from yesterday," he said.  

McLaren Senna LM gets a video walkaround

At the end of last year, rumor got out that 26 units of the McLaren Senna production run were still waiting their turn to impress the world. Word was that McLaren Special Operations would remake the roughly two dozen coupes into three special editions, the most numerous of them a Senna LM model. A finished example of the predicted coupe found its way to New Zealand, where McLaren Auckland Brand Manager Luke Neuberger gave the Payapa Orange supercar a walkaround for YouTube channel Giltrap TV. The English carmaker recently launched its 720S Le Mans as a tribute to winning — and hoarding four of the top five finishing positions at —  Le Mans in 1995 with the F1 GTR. That coupe got dressed in McLaren orange with Ueno Grey accents and five-spoke wheels recalling the OZ Racing rims on the F1 GTR, as well as vented front fenders, a roof scoop, and gold-painted brake calipers. MSO went further with the Senna LM, which is natural considering the Senna homage is reputed to cost about $1.7 million, compared to the 720S homage starting at $299,000. The Senna LM bodywork hasn't changed in front from the standard Senna, but the Auckland example wears a uniform color all over; the front fascia of a standard Senna sports black accents in the headlight pockets. Body-colored vents adorn the front fenders above a set of gray five-spoke wheels, and one of the many tiny particluars on the Senna LM sees the center-lock wheel nuts colored red on the left side, blue on the right. Behind those wheels, gold calipers clamp vented discs. As we saw in a spy shot of an early mule left in an industrial unit, the clear pane in the doors is filled in with a body-colored panel. Further back, the glossy carbon fiber wing endplates feature the initials "LM" carved out to show unfinished carbon fiber.  Neuberger wouldn't confess to a horsepower rating beyond "800-ish," but MSO worked on the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. The track-only Senna GTR makes 814 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. The Senna LM engine's been blueprinted, the heads ported and polished, and four exhaust pipes stand up through the Senna LM's engine cover. The standard Senna shows three pipes.

McLaren applies to trademark 'Sabre' with USPTO

In October 2018, The Supercar Blog dished on how exotic car collector and Instagram user dan_am_i had arranged with McLaren's MSO division to procure a special supercar. The working name of the new coupe was "Bespoke Commission BC-03," and it was rumored to be a road-going take on McLaren's Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo concept from October 2017. The Woking automaker's Vision GT was a track-only single-seater with 1,134 horsepower and 940 pound-feet of torque erupting from a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 powering the rear wheels and two high-output electric motors powering the fronts. Last October, someone put renders of the BC-03 on Instagram (pictured), the car's lines spread over a design spectrum stretching from the Senna to the Vision GT. Grand Tour Nation recently came across a trademark application McLaren submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to reserve the name "McLaren Sabre." A saber, as our brand of English spells it, is defined in its noun form as "a heavy cavalry sword with a curved blade and a single cutting edge," in its verb form as to "cut down or wound with a saber." Based on a few bits of circumstantial evidence that we found at the McLaren Life forum, we believe the name will be applied to the production version of the BC-03.   Compare the BC-03 renders to this Instagram post of a camouflaged, fire-spewing McLaren caught testing after dark last September on what appears to be a track. It features the same shark fin and wing, same exhaust placement, same diffuser, very similar graphic over the engine bay. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In January of this year, Instagram user cococulture_ had business at the McLaren customer design studio. While there, they logged video of a scale version of the BC-03 under a cover. The caption is the gotcha:  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. After checking our notes, we feel confident affirming that "Sabre" starts with an "S." Of course, nothing is certain until McLaren puts the coupe on the display stand, but the evidence lines up so far for the BC-03 to become the Sabre. The original coverage from two years ago claimed there'd be five examples made, with three of them spoken for. New numbers from McLaren Life posters say there will be 15 units built, all for the U.S. market, all reserved for McLaren Automotive's best VIP customers.

McLaren 720S Le Mans limited edition commemorates 25th anniversary of race win

McLaren made its first appearance as a constructor at the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in 1995, fielding seven McLaren F1 GTRs and taking the checkered flag with a 1-3-4-5 finish. Car #59, driven by JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya was the overall winner. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of that achievement, the company is rolling out a McLaren 720S Le Mans special edition. The 720S Le Mans is available in Sarthe Grey or McLaren Orange and features a functional gloss-black roof scoop and carbon-fiber louvered front fenders. The lower body sides, lower front bumper, and rear bumper are painted Ueno Grey. The unique five-spoke wheel design is inspired by that of the F1 GTR racer, and gold-painted brake calipers are fitted as well. The interior is equipped with carbon-fiber racing seats and is finished in black Alcantara with gray or orange accents. Drivers who plan to do some track time themselves can specify six-point seatbelts and a titanium harness bar. Multiple option packages can add more carbon-fiber exterior elements, and the brand's MSO Defined and MSO Bespoke programs offer further customization. The 4.0-liter M840T twin-turbo V8 is unchanged and spins out 710 horsepower at 7,500 rpm along with 568 lb-ft of torque. Paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, it's good for a top speed of 212 mph and a 0-to-62-mph time of 2.9 seconds. Just 50 examples worldwide will be produced, with deliveries scheduled to begin in September. U.S. pricing has not been announced, but expect to dig a little deeper than the $299,000 (plus $2,500 destination) for the standard 720S. Related Video: