2015 Mclaren 650s on 2040-cars

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McLaren preparing 650S extreme track-bound versions

McLaren isn't a company used to standing still. It has 182 grand prix victories under its belt, a dozen Formula One titles and some of the most lust-worthy supercars ever made. So we could hardly blame anyone (ourselves included) for impatiently anticipating what the team at Woking has coming next. Of course, McLaren itself is eager to keep its customers focused on the considerable offerings it already has on hand, but speaking to a few key McLaren personalities has given us some clues. The project known internally as P13 is focusing on a rival to the Porsche 911 Turbo and Audi R8. P14 is still a mystery that no one at Woking is willing to talk about at this stage. And P15 is set to slot in between the 650S and P1 once the latter completes its 375-unit production run. But let's not get too caught up with upcoming products before we're done with the latest 650S. As our own Matt Davis will be bringing you shortly in our First Drive report, McLaren has been demonstrating the new 650S to journalists as a prodigious track weapon at the Ascari Race Resort in Spain. But before all is said and done, there will be even more track-focused versions of the 650S to follow. Speaking one-on-one with Autoblog, McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt confirmed that the new 650S is destined for the racetrack, and in multiple guises at that. First up will be the 650S GT Sprint, which could very well get a different name before it hits the circuit. This track-bound version of the 650S will follow in the footsteps of the 12C GT Sprint, a circuit toy of which McLaren has sold about 25 examples to date. Developed by McLaren's GT racing department, the 12C GT Sprint features updated aerodynamics, suspension and safety equipment, along with a set of Pirelli racing slicks to better suit it for roadcourse use. We'd expect the 650S GT Sprint (or whatever it's ultimately called) to carry over most (if not all) of the same features, plus the upgrades which McLaren Automotive applied to the 12C to transform it into the 650S – including the revised front end and upgraded engine. Flewitt tells us to expect the new Sprint track car to launch later this year. McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt tells us to expect the 650S GT Sprint track car to launch later this year. It won't be until next season, however, that McLaren GT will hit the racing circuit with its new 650S GT3.

McLaren bringing unique P1 MSO to Pebble Beach

With only 375 examples to be made (170 of which have already been completed), you can bet that few of the McLaren P1s to leave the factory in Woking will be the same. But for those looking to further distinguish their supercar, McLaren Special Operations is glad to meet the customer's individual requests, and will be bringing two examples of its latest work to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance this year, the same place where MSO was launched three years ago. The most noteworthy is a P1 commissioned by a North American customer who had MSO outfit his hybrid hypercar to unique specifications. It's done up in Stirling Grey metallic with a satin nickel Stealth Pack, gloss carbon fiber and McLaren's trademark shade of orange detailing everything from the brake calipers to the rear wing brackets. The buyer also had MSO install 24-carat gold heat shielding around the engine bay and inconel exhaust, just like the original McLaren F1, a custom aluminum grille and an interior decked out in carbon fiber, Alcantara, a custom steering wheel and more orange and satin nickel detailing. Alongside this unique P1, MSO will also be showcasing a unique 650S Spider commissioned by the Newport Beach dealership in Cerulean Blue metallic flake and satin carbon trim. See the press release below for all the details on both these bespoke takes on already-exclusive supercars. Of course the bigger news, however, is the P1 GTR track car that will be unveiled at Pebble this year as well. McLAREN SPECIAL OPERATIONS RETURNS TO PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE TO SHOWCASE THE LATEST MODELS Three years after launching at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, McLaren Special Operations (MSO) will return to the fairway of the 18th hole at the famous Pebble Beach automotive weekend with unique examples of the McLaren P1™ and the recently launched MSO 650S Spider. The bespoke McLaren Special Operations division was launched in 2011, and offers a full personalisation service for McLaren owners. The dedicated division grew out of McLaren's Customer Care programme, which goes back more than 20 years to the days of the McLaren F1 roadcar, and continues to look after servicing and maintaining cherished F1s for owners, as well as undertaking personalisation work for all McLaren models. Commissioned by a North American customer, the McLaren P1™ to be shown features a host of bespoke options which subtly mark this car out, and is on display publicly for the first time.

Road-legal McLaren P1 GTR in the works

When the McLaren F1 won the 24 Hours of Le Mans on its first try, it was the car run by Lanzante Motorsport that took the victory. The English firm has maintained a two-decade relationship with McLaren, often through work on the F1, and it will now turn its attention to the P1 GTR by making the 986-horsepower track-only supercar road-legal for certain customers. What needs to be done for the conversion, how long it takes, and the specs of the finished product will be determined by where in the world the owner plans to use the car, so Lanzante is taking each order "on a case-by-case basis." But the company has said that the finished product will always maintain its positioning compared to the currently road-legal P1, by being more powerful, faster, and having more aggressive aerodynamics. The first donor car should hit the operating lift later this year. McLaren isn't officially involved in the project, but speculation is that the Woking carmaker and its MSO division will be there to assist in order to make sure all goes well.