2019 Mclaren 600lt on 2040-cars

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Touring the Boulevard at the McLaren Technology Centre

Ask anyone where the supercar capital of the world is and they'll likely point you towards Italy. But that's not the only place where supercars are born. Nor is it – despite the best efforts of Ferrari – home to the bulk of grand prix victories and world championships. Those bragging rights belong to a section of England we call Carbon Fiber Valley. It's where you'll find the majority of Formula One teams and suppliers, and at its heart lies the sleepy town of Woking. With a little over 60,000 inhabitants, Woking wouldn't register on most radars. But it blips big on ours thanks to the McLaren Technology Centre, home to one of the most successful teams in F1 history and a supercar manufacturer to rival Italy's best. It's one of the great gearhead meccas of the world. So on our last visit to the UK we took a stroll along the boulevard of McLaren history. Hidden on more than a hundred green acres at the outskirts of Woking lies a space-age complex designed by Norman Foster, one of Britain's preeminent architects. Both inside and out, it could double as a super-villain's lair in most any fantastical action movie. The McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) opened in 2003. The campus grew with the addition of the McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in 2011, and other facilities that are in the works. MTC hugs one of four artificial lakes that help cool the building and the adjoining wind tunnel. The entire building is pristine, everything above ground in glass and metal, everything below well-lit and lined with white panels. It's an embodiment of the McLaren ethos and the manifestation of chairman Ron Dennis' notorious obsession with detail. The cafeteria, for example, has lower air pressure than the rest of the building, so that smells don't escape into the hallway. Walking around, you get the feeling the entire structure could at any moment rise from the ground and rocket off into space. The story is just as impressive at the adjacent MPC where technicians assemble the 650S, P1, and the forthcoming Sports Series. If things were any cleaner, less cluttered, or more spotlessly sterile, you'd think you were in an operating room. Unfortunately, photography of the assembly facility is prohibited, but that's just as well, because what we really came to see was the Boulevard. While most F1 teams sell or scrap their used cars, McLaren keeps the vast majority of its own.

McLaren confirms 650S ahead of Geneva reveal

McLaren has a big reveal in store for next month's Geneva Motor Show. It has just announced a new model called the McLaren 650S for the Swiss show, but at the moment, it's not saying much more, releasing just the single teaser image shown above and no real details about its new sports car. McLaren promises that the 650S sits between the MP4-12C and P1 in its lineup and says the new model incorporates the lessons from both of those supercars' development. According to the announcement, the 650S is "designed and developed to offer the enthusiast driver the ultimate in luxury, engagement and excitement, as well as dramatic yet beautiful styling." There have been at least two rumors of upcoming McLaren models in the past month, and either of them could conceivably be the 650S. A high-performance version of the 12C is rumored to boost power to around 650 horsepower, while adding carbon-ceramic brakes and a new front end. The British boutique automaker is also rumored to be working on a dedicated model between the 12C and P1 codenamed 'P15.' "All I can tell you at this stage is that the McLaren 650S being revealed at Geneva is not the much rumoured P13 and that it doesn't replace 12C," said Wayne Bruce, McLaren Global Communications Director, in an email to Autoblog. We shouldn't have to wait long to have our questions answered, because McLaren will have more details about the new model in the coming weeks before its March 4 unveiling. Scroll down to check out the teaser press release, and let us know which you think this new model is in Comments. The McLaren 650S: A New Chapter For McLaren Automotive And The Supercar McLaren Automotive will reveal at the 84th International Geneva Motor Show the latest addition to its range of groundbreaking supercars - the McLaren 650S. Designed and developed to offer the enthusiast driver the ultimate in luxury, engagement and excitement, as well as dramatic yet beautiful styling, the McLaren 650S is the result of 50 years of competing, and winning, at the highest levels of motorsport. It takes learnings from both the 12C as well as the sell-out McLaren P1™ and will be positioned between the two on McLaren Automotive's supercar grid. More details of the McLaren 650S will be announced in the run-up to the car's global reveal which will take place on Stand 1240, Hall 1 at 12.00CET (11.00GMT), Tuesday 4 March 2014 in Geneva.

McLaren teases roaring new 675LT ahead of Geneva debut

McLaren is set to reveal the new 675LT at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, but before it does, the F1 team turned exotic automaker has been peppering us with teasers of the new track-focused supercar. The 675LT promises a raft of enhancements over the 650S on which it's based, starting with the engine: McLaren's ubiquitous 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 has been fitted with lightweight components and new turbo spools to drive output up to 666 horsepower (675 in metric terms, hence the first part of the nameplate) and 516 pound-feet of torque. It also gets revised bodywork with a longer tail (hence the LT) that helps produce 40 percent more downforce, and a dual-tip titanium exhaust. We'll have more on the new McLaren 675LT as its debut approaches less than a month from now, when it will form part of the brand's newly aligned Super Series (alongside the 650S and Asian-market 625C) above the upcoming entry-level Sports Series. But in the meantime, you can hear that upgraded engine roar through the new exhaust in the video clip above. AERODYNAMICALLY OPTIMISED, THE McLAREN 675LT STAYS TRUE TO THE ICON - Active 'Longtail' Airbrake contributes to a 40 percent increase in overall downforce - 700 Nm (516 lb ft) produced by a heavily revised 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 featuring lightweight components and new turbos - Bespoke titanium crossover exhaust ensures optimised performance. See, and hear, it at: http://youtu.be/tOl7gZ8bQdY The 675LT, the first McLaren in nearly two decades to wear the LT – or 'Longtail' – name, will stay true to the spirit of its iconic predecessor with aerodynamically optimised, dramatically enhanced styling that results in 40 percent more downforce than the 650S which it will sit alongside in the McLaren Super Series. A total power output of 675PS (666bhp), and torque figure of 700 Nm (516 lb ft) plus a focus on weight saving will ensure an electrifying, engaging and visceral driving experience. These output figures are produced by a heavily revised 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 featuring lightweight components and new turbos. A controlled torque delivery of 600Nm (443 lb ft) ensures optimised acceleration and traction from a standing start in first gear, rising to the full 700Nm available from 5,500-6,500 rpm, through each of the other gears. A redesigned crossover exhaust system, bespoke to the 675LT, is formed from lightweight titanium. Two circular titanium exhaust pipes exit centrally through exposed bodywork below the rear 'Longtail' Airbrake.