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McLaren confirms track-focused P1 GTR

McLaren is, first and foremost, a racing outfit. That's why it seemed odd that, when producing its first road-going supercar – the legendary McLaren F1 – it did not originally intend to take it racing. Of course competitive minds prevailed, and the rest is history: the resulting McLaren F1 GTR not only win in its own GT1 class, but beat out more advanced Le Mans prototypes to positively dominate endurance racing in the mid-90s. Now McLaren is out to revive that spirit with the announcement of the new P1 GTR. Instead of a racer, though, the P1 GTR will be – as expected – a track toy for wealthy clients... most of whom will probably be drawn from the existing pool of McLaren P1 road-car owners. Think of it as Woking's answer to the Ferrari XX program and you won't be far off. Differentiating the GTR from the road-going P1 will be more aggressive bodywork (for increased downforce and cooling), a wider track, slick tires and – arguably the best part – a target output of 986 horsepower, an increase of 83 hp over stock. Set to begin production only after all 375 examples of the road-going P1 have been produced, the McLaren P1 GTR will set Woking's wealthiest clients back a heft GBP1.98 million – equivalent to about $3.35 million at today's exchange rates, making GTR ownership one of the most expensive prospects on the market. For that much cash, owners will also get to train with McLaren's driver fitness team, train on its advanced simulator and participate in at least six track sessions on grand prix circuits each year. McLAREN AUTOMOTIVE TO BESTOW ICONIC BADGE ON ULTIMATE TRACK-FOCUSED McLAREN P1™ GTR 13/06/14 Twenty years on from victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by the now legendary McLaren F1 GTR, McLaren Automotive will resurrect the iconic name from its history for the track-only edition of the award-winning McLaren P1™. The limited-run model will go into production when the 375th and final example of the road car has been completed, and in homage to its race-winning ancestor, the most powerful McLaren to date will be named the McLaren P1™ GTR. With no need to comply with road legislation, the McLaren P1™ GTR will be designed and developed as the best drivers' car in the world on track. This will see even greater levels of performance, grip, aerodynamics and downforce than the road car.

McLaren launches Sports Series configurator for 570S

With the launch of its new Sports Series, McLaren is reaching out into a whole new market – one far more accessible than the supercars it has made to date. That means there'll be a whole new class of customers who'll suddenly contemplate putting $184,900 down on an example of Woking's finest. But whether you're among those with the means or not, it's a tempting way to waste some time to play around with an online configurator – and that's just what McLaren has launched for the new 570S. The British racing team turned exotic automaker revealed its new entry-level model at the New York Auto Show last week in its signature shade of orange, and even released some photos of the 570S in a slick dark silver finish. But of course those are just starting points: McLaren in seventeen color choices, with three wheel options (each available in three finishes), six colors for the brake calipers, and a whole mess of carbon-fiber trim pieces. And that's before you even step into the cockpit, where the possibilities are virtually endless. Toying around with the configuration tool, we went for a pseudo-Storm Trooper approach with the special Silica White paint, the super-lightweight forged alloys in diamond-cut finish, and probably more carbon parts then we'd actually care to order, push come to twin-turbocharged shove. What combination would you choose? Related Video: Related Gallery McLaren 570S View 28 Photos News Source: McLarenTip: Troy McLaren Coupe Supercars configurator mclaren 570s mclaren sports series

McLaren 650S successor will get twin-turbo V8 hybrid

The trickledown theory is central to an automaker's justification of auto racing. It's the idea that stuff developed in competition informs how production cars are built or what features are included. It's why today you can get performance cars with carbon fiber bodies and carbon-ceramic brakes – and thanks to Formula 1 and endurance racing, it's why you'll soon be able to buy high-performance hybrids. McLaren is all about the trickledown theory. The energy recovery system that started in the company's F1 cars inspired the hybrid drivetrain in the P1 hypercar. And now, the British company has confirmed that a similar setup will grace the replacement for the 650S and 675LT. Code-named the P14, Car and Driver reports an updated 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 will be the centerpiece, but a focus will be on reducing the weight of batteries and electric motors. In fact, McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt said shedding weight is central to all of the company's hybrid pursuits. "The P1 had 375 pounds of [batteries/motors] if you added it up; I think that today we're within a 70- to 110-pound weight penalty for hybrid," Flewitt told C/D. "I want to eliminate that, get it to zero – and then really hack off my engineers by saying we want to make it even lighter than a conventional powertrain would be. But that's in the future, it's something we're constantly driving." Just because the next mid-range supercar from McLaren will get bits of P1, don't expect this kind of hybrid technology to filter into the company's more affordable offerings. Part of the reason McLaren is making this move with the successor to the 650S/675LT is because it will much faster, and in turn allow the company to create an even greater separation between its so-called Sports and Super Series cars. Still, McLaren is making some very good decisions for drivers. Moving such an advanced piece of technology downmarket and focusing on cutting weight out of said tech is proof positive that the trickledown theory of motorsports works. Expect to see this new McLaren hybrid at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. Related Video: