McLaren has revealed the successor to its iconic F1 hypercar – a grand tourer called the Speedtail.
The new model will cost around £2.1 million pounds including tax, and, with a top speed of 250mph, is the fastest McLaren ever built.
Only 106 models of the petrol-electric superstar will be made, and the bad news is that they’re all sold out already.
McLaren says the Speedtail earns the GT moniker due to its striking shape, a 5.2-metre long body – almost the same as a hulking Merc S Class sedan – and the fact that it’s a three seater.
The driver sits centrally, with two passengers either side but slightly behind.
There is no gear stick, so the driver can climb in from either side of the vehicle.
Amongst a litany of standout facts are:
It’s McLaren’s first ever car to be styled as a ‘Hyper-GT’
The carbon fibre Monocage body structure is unique to the Speedtail
There’s a “teardrop-shaped” cockpit
That 5.2-metre body is aerodynamically optimised to be the most aero-drag efficient McLaren road car ever
The pioneering petrol-electric hybrid powertrain delivers a combined 1,050PS for acceleration of 0-186mph in 12.8 seconds
The car is shod in bespoke P-ZERO tyres developed with Pirelli
There are no mirrors, it uses retractable digital rear-view cameras that stream real time images to the cockpit
There also no sun visors – advanced electrochromic glass darkens the top of the windscreen at the touch of a button, removing the need for sun visors
The doors are double-skinned, power-operated dihedral affairs with single-piece ‘wrapover’ lightweight glazing
And it won’t be the last of its kind – McLaren says the Speedtail is the first of 18 new cars or derivatives to be announced under its Track25 business plan.
“McLaren has never built a vehicle like the Speedtail before,” said McLaren Automotive boss Mike Flewitt.
“As our first ‘Hyper-GT’, the Speedtail is the ultimate McLaren road car; a fusion of art and science that combines an astonishing maximum speed with an iconic central-driving position and a truly pioneering approach to bespoke personalisation.
“A ground-breaking hybrid powertrain sits within a lightweight carbon fibre body reminiscent of sleek ‘streamliners’ that once set world speed records, while the luxurious three-seat cockpit offers a sublime combination of an incredible driving experience, unmatched individualism and innovative materials never seen before in a road-going vehicle.”
The Speedtail is built around a bespoke McLaren Monocage carbon fibre structure and benefits from lightweight engineering throughout, including an all-carbon fibre body, aluminium active suspension and carbon ceramic brakes.
The 250mph top speed is achieved in a unique Velocity mode, which has been developed specifically for the Speedtail.
The Velocity Active Chassis Control can lower the Speedtail by 35mm, leaving the highest point of the vehicle just 1,120mm from the road surface.
The straight-line acceleration of the Speedtail sets a new benchmark for a McLaren, with 0-186mph achieved in just 12.8 seconds; McLaren Automotive’s previous Ultimate Series hybrid, the McLaren P1, could reach this speed in 16.5 seconds.
“As an Ultimate Series model, at the pinnacle of the McLaren range, the Speedtail pushes the limits of what is possible technically,” said McLaren’s Andy Palmer.
Announced at Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2018, the company’s Track25 business plan will see it invest £1.2billion in research and development to deliver 18 new cars or derivatives by the end of 2025.
2017 saw the company launch further models including the second-generation Super Series, the 570S Spider and the McLaren Senna. In 2018, the company launched the 600LT.
