2018 Mclaren 570 Base 2dr Coupe on 2040-cars

Auto blog

UPDATE: McLaren 720S is spotted on the street already

UPDATE: We got an answer late Tuesday about the mystery 720S. McLaren's North American press contact let us know that the car is a prototype undergoing final engineering signoff. It will be here in the US only for a few weeks. Meanwhile, the engineers apparently decided to take in a hockey game. PREVIOUS STORY APPEARS BELOW: The McLaren 720S was just introduced at the Geneva Motor Show last week. Over the weekend, it - or something like it - was spotted in Raleigh, NC, outside a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game. So is it, or isn't it, the 212-mph British supercar? Redditor MyNameIsBUNS posted this image just days after the car's Geneva reveal. It sure looks like a 720S, and Autoblog Editor-in-Chief Mike Austin, who saw the car in Geneva, is certain this is the real deal. So how did it get on the road so fast? And why North Carolina? Though the price of a McLaren 720S is just shy of $300,000, that's within reach of an NHL player - based on salaries, it could belong to anyone on the Hurricanes roster. A bigger pool of potential owners would be tech-industry execs in the Raleigh Durham Triangle. One Redditor who commented on the photo said he recognized it as a press car. We doubt that, but if so, we at Autoblog are going to have to get on McLaren's signup sheet. More likely, the car belongs to the manufacturer. Meanwhile, McLaren is already offering customized versions of the 720S. If you'd like to waste a little time at work, have fun building your own supercar with the McLaren 720S configurator. View 18 Photos Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

McLaren reinstates Ron Dennis as CEO

With new versions of the 12C coming out all the time, the new P1 still wowing crowds and additional projects underway, sports car fanatics might surmise that McLaren is doing pretty well for itself these days. But Formula One fans would likely disagree. After losing its longtime prodigy Lewis Hamilton to its longtime partner, Mercedes, McLaren failed to land on the podium (let alone win an actual grand prix) even once last season. In fact, the last time McLaren – one of the most historically successful teams on the grid – won the F1 World Championship was back in 2008, when Ron Dennis was still calling the shots. Little wonder, then, that the board of the McLaren Group has seen it fit to reinstate Dennis as chief executive officer. Ron Dennis is the man rightfully and widely credited with turning McLaren into the powerhouse it is today. He came to the team in 1980 at the end of a three-year dry spell in which it had not won a single grand prix. The following season, it was already winning races again, and by 1984, it was winning World Championships again: seven Constructors' Championships and ten Drivers' Championships with pilots like Lauda, Prost, Senna, Hakkinen and Hamilton. All in all, the team was never as successful as it was under the leadership of Ron Dennis, but in 2009, he stepped aside as team principal to focus on expanding the group's business, leaving Martin Whitmarsh to assume the title of CEO. But while the carmaking division has grown under Dennis' watchful eye, the F1 team has floundered under Whitmarsh's direction. So the board has reinstated Dennis as CEO of the entire group. This isn't the first time McLaren has faced difficulties with (and had to replace) one of Dennis' lieutenants. Last year, McLaren Automotive's managing director Antony Sheriff was placed on extended leave, his duties ultimately effectively reassigned to Mike Flewitt, who was promoted from chief operating officer to chief executive officer of the carmaking unit this past summer. Just what that this new appointment will mean for Whitmarsh in his role as F1 team principal remains to be seen, but Dennis says he is gearing up "to write an exciting new chapter in the story of McLaren, beginning by improving our on-track and off-track performance." He'll have a new strategy outlined for the group next month, but in the meantime, you can read the official announcement below.

Watch a McLaren P1 get tormented by a BAC Mono at Silverstone

Could there be anything more infuriating than making a million-plus-dollar investment in a vehicle like the McLaren P1, only to take it to a track and find you're unable to outrun a car that costs, without options, about 96,000 pounds ($159,000 at today's rates)? One P1 driver experienced that sort of frustration while running Silverstone, when he tangled with a very persistent BAC Mono driver. Now, the P1 absolutely decimates the single-seat, closed-wheel track toy on the straights, while losing a lot of ground in the bends. Even on a high-speed track like Silverstone, the McLaren doesn't boast enough of an advantage to keep the Mono at bay. As the intelligent YouTube commenters (yes, we're surprised by this too) point out, though, there could be a number of reasons why the Mono is so able to hassle and pass the P1. First, it's quite clear that the BAC driver knows the circuit far better than the McLaren pilot, as evidenced by his lines, particularly through Stowe and the Club/Vale complex (this could be chalked up, as one commenter says, to the lead car driving with his mirrors). The BAC is probably running a more aggressive tire than the P1, which in turn appears to be handicapping itself by not running its most aggressive aero setup. Finally, remember that the McLaren is a fully street-legal vehicle, full of safety gear and crash-worthiness as required by law. Still, the fact that this relatively affordable track toy is able to hound and pass one of the world's premier performance machines is a particularly impressive feat. Take a look at the video to see what we mean. Related Gallery BAC Mono View 15 Photos Related Gallery McLaren P1 News Source: Oliver Webb via YouTube Motorsports McLaren Convertible Coupe Racing Vehicles Performance Videos mclaren p1 silverstone bac mono bac