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McLaren Sports Series rumored to produce 'well over' 500 horsepower

McLaren uses a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 in its two current cars, and that engine will feature in its third, entry-level car, too. It registers 727 horsepower in the P1, 641 hp in the 650S, and, while it's only speculation for the moment, Autocar reports that the coming McLaren Sports Series will be tuned to make "well over" 500 horsepower. Company CEO Mike Flewitt told the magazine, "Like our other models, this one will have a higher power-to-weight ratio and better performance figures than any rival." Starting price for the Sports Series – which will almost certainly get a more formal alphanumeric name –could come in around 130,000 pounds in the UK (circa $200k USD including British taxes), making it a 65-thousand-pound discount compared to the 650S. But with its overall size and weight expected to come close to the more expensive coupe, the Sports Series will go without the active aerodynamics and trick suspension of its elder sibling in order to create a performance gap. The report also says that since McLaren expects a much higher instance of use as a daily driver, a different door operation and thinner sill will make ingress and egress easier. To make sure it stands out in a growing field of race-tested competitors, McLaren will launch a GT3 model, but it will go the other way, too, with a turismo version "aimed at long-distance touring." If it does have 550 horsepower, how will the 130,000-pound coupe stack up on paper against its UK competitors? It will be more expensive than all of them, but also more powerful, and unless McLaren loses the plot, it will likely be more surgical around a track than any of them, as well. The 520-hp Porsche 911 Turbo costs 120,598 pounds, the 542-hp Audi R8 V10 Plus costs 114,835 pounds, and the 510-horsepower Mercedes AMG GT costs 109,160 pounds. We'll know where the Sports Series stacks up when its unveiled at the New York Auto Show. News Source: Autocar Rumormill New York Auto Show McLaren Coupe Luxury Performance mclaren sports series mclaren p13

McLaren Sports Series promises at least seven variants

Just how many different supercars can McLaren offer? The answer may yet surprise us even more than we anticipated. The British racing outfit is building a growing range of models around the same basic architecture that has already bred five different variants across two families: the Super Series (with the 625C, 650S and new 675LT) and the Ultimate Series (P1 and P1 GTR). That's already impressive as it is, but the addition of the upcoming new Sports Series promises to expand Woking's model line even further. Much further. According to the latest from Car and Driver, which sat down with McLaren's affable chief executive Mike Flewitt at the Geneva Motor Show last week, the new Sports Series will come in enough flavors to put an ice cream parlor to shame. We've known for some time that the company's upcoming entry-level range would come in at least three body styles, if not four. There'll be a coupe, a convertible and an unconventional GT version. But there will also be a number of engine specs available. The base model will wear the letter C, like the pared-down Asian market 625C. The next step up will be distinguished by the letter S, like the 650S. Both will be offered right from launch. But a third version could follow to serve as a baby brother to the new 675LT. Even if the latter is only offered in one body style, that means the Sports Series will come in seven different versions – giving potential buyers a similar array of choices they'd find if they went for a Porsche 911 or Audi R8. Pricing is similarly expected to target the upper end of the 911 range, landing somewhere between the 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S, which sell for $152k and $184k, respectively, in the US. Even at the upper end of that range, that's still substantially less than the $265k starting price for the 650S. To make up the difference, the Sports Series will do without active aero and suspension, but will still employ a similar carbon monocoque chassis and 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission – albeit de-tuned from upwards of 600 horsepower to somewhere in the 500-horse range. We'll have to sit tight and wait for more details, but the wait won't be long now as the McLaren Sports Series is set to debut at the New York Auto Show next month. News Source: Car and DriverImage Credit: McLaren New York Auto Show McLaren Convertible Coupe Supercars mclaren sports series

2015 McLaren 650S Spider [w/video]

It seems like only yesterday that we enjoyed a mad dash in McLaren's wild P1 hybrid wallet-breaker. Now here we are, already back with the Brits, this time in on the great roads of southern Spain and at Ascari Race Resort as McLaren launches what has already become its most important seller, the 650S. Available as both a $265,500 coupe and as a $280,225 roadster, we will focus hard here on the Spider since it's the greater conversation piece and will account for nearly ninety percent of North American deliveries. The car's very first US customers are taking delivery as you read this. Though the 650S essentially takes what was offered in the original MP4-12C, pumps it all up and refines it nicely, this new member of the McLaren clan looks more like a P1, albeit one costing over three-quarters of a million dollars less than the real deal. Truth be told, 12C production ceased in January to allow 650S production to ramp up, and the new car will therefore serve as McLaren's entry-level model until its rumored Porsche 911- and Aston Martin V8 Vantage-rival comes along. There were a handful of key things we hoped for in this new 650S: more power and torque than the 12C, a more finely tuned ride and handling balance no matter the H (handling) and P (powertrain) setting selected, more character from the bi-turbo V8's exhaust and a flashier, less banal design. We're pleased to report that all of these issues have been addressed. The 650S' chassis and powertrain are nearly identical to the 12C, but variations do exist. The 650S' naked chassis and powertrain are nearly identical to those of the 12C at first glance, but variations do exist. The entire top portion of the dry-sump M838T 3.8-liter V8, built up by engine kings Ricardo in the UK, has been reengineered for more urgency and less friction between moving parts. These developments lead to microscopically improved fuel efficiency and lower CO2 numbers. Similarly, the seven-speed Seamless Shift Gearbox (SSG) from Graziano is the same unit, but its software has been reprogrammed for better shift behavior both in-town and at full chat come track days. Whereas on the 12C, Pirelli PZeros have been standard-issue tires with Corsa versions as an option, the 650S jumps straight to the latter's higher-performance asymmetric treads. As to braking, there is a similar change, with the optional Akebono carbon-ceramic brakes of the 12C coming standard on the 650S.