2017 Mclaren 570 on 2040-cars

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McLaren and Honda rekindle a winning combination

With the 2014 Formula One World Championship now drawn to a close, all eyes are fixed on next season. And for both McLaren and Honda, that means the dawn of a new era – or hopefully, the return to one bygone. After twenty years running Mercedes engines, McLaren is switching back to Honda next season, rekindling the most successful partnership the once-dominant team has ever had. Immediately after swapping to Honda power in 1988 – and with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost behind the wheel – McLaren entered its winningest era, racking up four consecutive world championships. In the two decades it's spent under Mercedes power since, it won three drivers' titles and one constructors', leaving the relatively brief Honda era as its most successful. It was also the most successful for Honda, which had enjoyed success with Williams and some with Lotus, but far more with McLaren – the likes of which it was never able to recreate. The Japanese automaker that was the first to break into the Euro-centric series left grand prix racing when it left McLaren, and despite returning to fund its own team for the better part of a decade, claimed but one checkered flag before calling it quits again. Whether the new collaboration will return both outfits to the winner's circle remains to be seen, but we're looking forward to finding out. In the meantime, after releasing a couple of images from the video shoot last week, McLaren has put out this minute-and-a-half video clip showing the MP4-29H running a few laps around Silverstone, marking the official start of what could be the second reign of the McLaren-Honda dynasty. News Source: McLaren Motorsports Honda McLaren Racing Vehicles Videos F1 mclaren-honda

World Drone Prix promotes Dubai event by racing a McLaren

While there are plenty of efforts to make drone racing a serious sport, Dubai is determined to outdo them all. It's about to host the World Drone Prix, which will robotic fliers against each other in high-speed (over 62MPH) competition. Over 100 teams will participate in "American Idol-style" qualifiers between March 7th and 8th; the top 32 from that bunch will make it to the actual races on March 11th and 12th. This isn't about to usher in a Formula 1-like pro racing league, but this does have a shot at succeeding where other leagues might struggle. Besides the lavish production values (see the supercar-laden promo video above if you need proof), it's handing out a total of $1 million in prizes, including $250,000 for the winner. Although that pales in comparison to what top-tier race car leagues offer, it's a big enough incentive that it could keep teams coming back for future events.This article by Jon Fingas originally ran on Engadget, the definitive guide to this connected life.

McLaren sold out of the 675LT Spider in two weeks

We've come to expect a McLaren to be fast, but this latest development is measured on an entirely different scale. Just over two weeks after revealing the new 675LT Spider, the British supercar manufacturer has sold out the entire production run of 500 examples. The vehicle in question is the convertible version of the 675LT coupe introduced earlier this year and based, in turn, on the 650S in the company's Super Series. Like the coupe, the 675LT Spider packs an upgraded version of Woking's now-signature 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8, rated at a suitably devilish 666 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. The track-tuned roadster also features the extended long-tail bodywork first seen on the coupe and which gives the LT its name, but with a retractable hardtop to let in the extra-raspy exhaust note and the rapidly passing wind through the fortunate occupants' hair. And by rapid, we do mean rapid: 0-62 is quoted at 2.9 seconds and the top speed at 203 miles per hour. The commensurately quick uptake of the Spider, confirmed by company spokesman Wayne Bruce to Autoblog, is even faster than the rate at which it sold the preceding coupe. It took McLaren two months to sell out the 675LT following its introduction at the Geneva Motor Show this past March. Speaking to the prospect of another extreme take on the Super Series to follow, Bruce said the company has "No more announcements planned this year. Let's see what our customers ask of us in 2016." To coincide with the filling of its order books, McLaren released this video of Bruno Senna wringing the spider's neck out. The minute-and-a-half-long clip was shot on and around the same Portimao circuit in Portugal where we recently drove the 570S. Since you won't be able to get your hands on one yourself (unless you got your order in early), this may be the closest you'll ever get to the long-tail roadster, so check out the action in the video above. Related Video: