McLaren News

McLaren highlights former world champion James Hunt in this fourth episode of McLaren's Tooned 50 series, looking back at the history of the British race team and supercar manufacturer as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations in 2013.   Watch the video here.

McLaren highlights former world champion Emerson Fittipaldi in this third episode of McLaren's Tooned 50 series, looking back at the history of the British race team and supercar manufacturer as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations in 2013.   Watch the video here.  

McLaren gives a look at how the organisation's founder Bruce McLaren started off in this second episode of McLaren's Tooned 50 series, looking back at the history of the British race team and supercar manufacturer as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations in 2013.   Watch the video here.  

McLaren's F1 drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez star in this first episode of McLaren's Tooned 50 series, looking back at the history of the British race team and supercar manufacturer as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations in 2013.    Watch the video here.  

Hybrids, for a long time, were synonymous with everything that isn't fun about driving--commutes, traffic, gas mileage, and penny pinching. Lately, they've taken on a new high-performance sheen, perhaps nowhere as much so as at Ferrari.The LaFerrari hypercar is, put simply, obscene in its perversion of hybrid technology. We love it. It's a 708kW, no-all-electric-mode, sub-three-second-to-100km/h, more than 350-km/h-top-speed, this-clearly-isn't-about-saving-the-planet hybrid. But don't call it an electric car, or Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo might get a bit cross with you.Why? According to Bloomberg, di Montezemolo doesn't believe in electric cars. Presumably, that means he finds them unsuitable to Ferrari's mission of exclusive performance rather than merely unsuitable for reality.With examples like the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive out setting sub-8-minute Nordschleife laps, it's clear EVs can be made quick, if not quite truly fast, but then you'd expect it of a 560kW/1000Nm supercar, whatever fuel delivers that power. Unfortunately, the maximum range of the (roughly) US$550,000 SLS AMG Electric Drive is just 250km even with much more temperate use, and it takes about 20 hours to charge without the optional quick charger. Perhaps that's what di Montezemolo is talking about.Ferrari, meanwhile, is already joined at the upper end of the exotic hybrid segment with the McLaren P1 knocking out similar acceleration and top speed figures, despite sporting just 673kW, and the Porsche 918 Spyder making do with 653kW yet still achieving similar performance.Whose machine will reign supreme? Allez hybrids!www.motorauthority.com 

Following the announcement last May that Honda was making a return to Formula One as an engine supplier, initially to the McLaren team for the 2015 season, news immediately broke that the two might partner on development of one of McLaren’s future road cars.This was shot down only days later, when an insider stated that Honda’s renewed alliance with McLaren in F1 was not expected to have any impact on McLaren’s road car business.That may be true for McLaren’s current crop of road cars, which includes the 12C, P1 and upcoming P13 (name still pending) but that doesn’t mean we won’t see any collaboration between the two in the future. “Our road car strategy at the moment has no other automotive partner and Honda would be a good place to collaborate,” McLaren’s F1 team principal Martin Whitmarsh said to Autocar. “Nothing’s fixed, but we’re open to that and so are they.”Given McLaren’s size, it’s logical for the company to continue to outsource components such as engines and transmissions from outside suppliers. The current crop of McLaren cars, for instance, all get their engines from Ricardo while their transmissions are sourced from Graziano.Perhaps for the next generation of McLaren cars, we may see engines and other hardware sourced from Honda. If the two companies are successful in F1, we’re sure both will be eager to capitalise on that success in the world of road cars.Importantly, any deal is likely to work both ways, so we may see some of the McLaren-shared hardware featured in future Hondas like the upcoming NSX.www.motorauthority.com 

A mysterious McLaren MP4-12C Spider has been testing at the Nürburgring and on some of the German race track’s surrounding roads for the past couple of weeks. Snapped by one of our photographers just a few days ago, it was initially thought this vehicle was being used to test mild updates for the 12C range.According to McLaren, the car is actually a very early test mule for the company’s next supercar, an entry-level model currently doing the rounds as the P13. A spokesman for the company told Auto Express the test mule was running with some of the P13’s mechanicals.This makes sense, as the 12C has been on the market for only two years and has already been updated once. Considering it can hit 100m/h in approximately 2.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 343km/h, we’re happy with McLaren leaving it as it is for now.It’s also natural for McLaren to use the 12C as a test mule for the P13 as both cars are expected to feature the same carbon fibre monocoque structure, called the MonoCell. You may recall the flagship P1 uses a modified version of this monocoque, which McLaren calls the MonoCage.The P13 will also likely come with a version of the Ricardo-built 3.8-litre V-8 fitted to both the 12C and P1, which in its latest application will almost certainly be detuned to deliver less than 373 kilowatts so that it doesn’t step on the toes of its big brothers. The 12C was recently re-rated at 459 kilowatts and the P1 is delivering as much as 673 kilowatts in total, so this would leave a healthy gap between all three.Also common to all three cars should be the Graziano-sourced SSG seven-speed dual-clutch transmission already found in the 12C and P1. In terms of styling, McLaren previously told us the P13 will look something like a cross between the 12C and P1, and be the smallest of the three cars. It will debut as a coupe but will eventually be joined by a convertible.Despite its entry-level positioning in the McLaren lineup, it will still be a highly-capable supercar, targeting the likes of the Audi R8, Ferrari California (and its replacement), a new model from Mercedes' AMG division, and high-end Porsche 911 variants. Look for a debut of the P13 at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, with sales to commence shortly after.Production will take place at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England, where all McLarens are built, and volumes are expected to be between 2,000 and 2,500 units per year. Together with the 12C and P1, the P13 will see McLaren’s annual production reach the 4,000 vehicle target promised by Ron Dennis several years ago.www.motorauthority.com 

Since going on sale two years ago, McLaren’s 12C supercar has received a power hike, spawned a convertible and gone racing, but the introduction of changes and new variants shows no sign of abating. A prototype 12C Spider has been spotted carving up the Nurburgring and is believed to  preview a facelifted version of the car due out towards the end of the year as a 2014 model.This time around the tweaks are expected to be mainly cosmetic, which we have no qualms about considering the 12C can already hit 100kmh in 3.1 seconds and reach a top speed of 329kmh. That means peak output from the car’s twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 should remain pegged at 460kW of power and 600Nm of torque.Instead of power gains this time, look for tweaks to the bumper designs, new headlights, new wheel patterns and some additional trim options for the interior. Some items borrowed from the P1, like the race-style digital gauge cluster, are also likely. A reveal of the facelifted 2014 McLaren 12C range could happen as early as September’s 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show. While you wait for the reveal, read our driving impressions of the current car.www.motorauthority.com 

A new supercar is brewing, one with the performance and looks to rival a Bugatti Veyron. The project is taking place right here in Australia, and right now is in its very early stages.The new supercar, which hasn’t even received a name yet, is the brainchild of Australian entrepreneur Paul Halstead. The 67-year-old, who made his fortune in the IT business, has long dreamed of building his own car and came close to accomplishing it during the 1980s.Back then, Halstead was running a performance car dealership and attempted to build and sell Alfa Romeo Sprint coupes modified to fit a mid-mounted V-8. The car was called the Giocattolo and was extremely advanced for its day, coming complete with Kevlar body panels, Brembo brakes and suspension developed by former McLaren F1 engineer Barry Lock.Unfortunately, Halstead only managed to build 15 examples before he had to fold operations due to poor sales. Now, 30 years on since the Giocattolo, Halstead is working on a new mid-engined supercar.Halstead is also in charge of an automotive design and engineering firm, HAL, which among its numerous duties supplied De Tomaso with Ford V-8 engines and built a Pantera race car. More recently HAL built a Holden Monaro concept powered by a 7.0-litre V-8 sourced from the Chevrolet Corvette Z06.It is this engine, the race-bred LS7, that will serve as the basis of Halstead’s new supercar, albeit with a twist: two of the engines, rolled over at 45 degrees, will be bolted together and used to power the wheels. Instead of merging their internals to form a single crankshaft, like in the aforementioned Veyron, which essentially features two W-8s on a common crank, Halstead explains that a “trick” transfer case will allow the two separate crankshafts of the LS7s to match up with a single six-speed sequential gearbox.An estimated peak output of 895 kilowatts will be derived from the 14.0 litres of swept capacity, which will then be channelled to the rear wheels via the sequential ‘box and a limited-slip differential. The mighty powerplant will be mounted to a lightweight carbon fibre tub and housed in a svelte body composed of more carbon fibre and Kevlar.Looking at the official drawings, it’s clear Halstead and his design team were influenced by the McLaren F1 as well as some modern Maseratis. The front, in particular, is reminiscent of a Maserati GranTurismo, while inside there is a central driver’s seat with a passenger seat to either side, just like in the iconic F1 supercar. Instead of doors, Halstead’s design calls for a jet fighter-style sliding canopy.As for production, Halstead says the project is simply a bit of fun and not a serious business venture. He plans to show the completed version, due in 2016, at the Detroit Autorama hot rod event where he hopes to win the prestigious Ridler Award. The final performance of the car and the level of interest, particularly from potential investors, will dictate whether a small run will enter production.Halstead is a great admirer of men like Horacio Pagani and Christian von Koenigsegg, who have achieved their dream of building world-class supercars, but concedes it’s a very difficult business. “I have been there with the 15 Giocattolos I built in the ‘80s and I really do understand just how difficult it is to become a Pagani,” Halstead explains. “That man is a true legend for what he has achieved.”www.motorauthority.com

Special-edition cars to mark anniversaries are nothing new, but for McLaren, having its own production car around to commemorate the occasion is. The brand borne from racing is capitalising on the opportunity, with the new McLaren 50 12C and McLaren 50 12C Spider, celebrating the brand's 50th anniversary.These special-edition models will be limited to a run of just 50 cars each for coupe and spider. Unique styling and specification elements by McLaren Special Operations (MSO) mark them apart from the normal versions.Upgrades for the McLaren 50 models include: a remodelled, CFD-optimised front bumper; new carbon fibre and Kevlar exterior elements; a black F1-inspired heritage badge; standard carbon ceramic brake discs; unique 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels that save 2kg total; and a full leather upgrade inside the cabin, with carbon fibre accents and floor mats. A special dedication plate numbers each of the limited-run cars.Three colours will be available for the McLaren 50 12C and 12C Spider: Carbon Black, Supernova Silver, and McLaren Orange.Each also gets its own monogrammed black and silver car cover, a limited-edition key in a carbon fibre presentation box, and a specially commissioned art print signed by McLaren Automotive's design director, Frank Stephenson.Global deliveries of the McLaren 50 12C should begin something after the official anniversary date of September 2. So far, only UK pricing has been announced, with the coupe priced from £196,000, and the spider from £215,500.www.motorauthority.com