2015 Mclaren 650s on 2040-cars

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Infographic reconstructs Senna's miracle drive at Donington

Detractors will tell you every Formula One race is the same: a bunch of overpaid, glorified cab drivers posing as athletes sit in cars that have nothing to do with the ones we see and drive on the road and proceed to drive around in circles. Of course racing fans know different. We know that no two grands prix are the same. But even then, some stand out more than others. Take the 1993 European Grand Prix, for example. It was the only time an F1 race was ever held at Donington Park, and on April 14 it was pouring. Ayrton Senna had already won his three world championships and was now in his sixth season with McLaren. He qualified fourth, behind Alain Prost and Damon Hill for Williams and Michael Schumacher for Benetton. But once the race got underway, all bets were off. Off the line he was passed by Karl Wendlinger in the Sauber, but then proceeded to pass Schumacher, retake Wendlinger, overtake Hill for second and take the lead from his arch-rival (and former team-mate) Prost, all on the first lap. It was a command performance in the wettest of weather that saw Senna finish nearly a full lap ahead of Damon Hill in second, and will go down in history as one of the most breathtaking opening laps in racing history – and serves as a fitting remembrance today, the 20th anniversary of Senna's death. McLaren has it all broken down in the tidy infographic below. Source: McLaren.com News Source: McLaren Motorsports McLaren F1 infographic ayrton senna european grand prix donington

McLaren to launch 650S replacement in 2018

McLaren only launched the 650S last year, but by 2018 it'll be four years old – and the 12C underpinnings on which it is largely based will have been around for seven. Looking at those time spans, it should come as little surprise that Woking is already gearing up to launch its replacement. According to Autocar, the successor to the McLaren 650S is due in 2018. It's anticipated to be based on the same carbon monocoque architecture and 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that's widely used by the company. Frank Stephenson and his team are also tipped to be working on a new design that will depart sharply from the theme that has characterized the P1 (Ultimate Series), 650S (Super Series), and 570S (Sports Series). Look for that appearance to point the way forward for future McLaren models. Expect output to exceed the 641 horsepower in the 650S and possibly even the 666 hp in the 675LT. By the time it arrives, Woking's latest will have to contend with even more powerful versions of the Ferrari 488 GTB and Lamborghini Huracan, which produce 661 hp and 602 hp, respectively, in their current iterations. It remains to be seen, however, whether the new Super Series model will adopt hybrid propulsion like the P1. A hard-top convertible Spider is also anticipated to follow. The new model's internal designation of P14, as Autocar asserts, may finally put to rest the mystery of what Woking was saving that slot for: P11 was used for the 12C (and P11M for the 650S), P12 for the P1, P13 for the new Sports Series, and P15 is said to be earmarked for a new model to slot in between the 650S and P1. Related Video:

2012 Seat Exeo is Audi with the old, in with the new-ish

We know what you're thinking: This car looks an awful lot like an Audi A4. But it isn't. And it is.
Regular readers may be aware that Audi's Spanish sister-company Seat inherited the previous-generation A4 some time after it was replaced. They put some new badges on it and presto! A new flagship model for Seat.
Called the Exeo, it has now undergone a minor facelift that did nothing if not make it look even more like an Audi, if that were possible, and we got up close and personal with the new model here in Frankfurt. Check it out in our high-res gallery of live images from the show floor.