2022 Mclaren 720s Spider Performance on 2040-cars

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McLaren GT revealed — a luxurious yet superlight supercar

WOKING, England — McLaren's short history as a road car brand leaves it unburdened by emotional baggage carried by its rivals, given a new Ferrari or Lamborghini can only ever riff on a well-understood theme. But McLaren is free to do what it wants, and can react quickly to feedback. The original 12C was criticized as lacking excitement, which later cars addressed with ducted-in engine noise, programmed exhaust pops, the track influenced LT range and, ultimately, the Senna. Hardcore cred established, McLaren is now making an abrupt pivot in the opposite direction with the McLaren GT, its new superlight grand tourer inspired by feedback from customers who enjoyed the more refined approach of the 570GT and taken to new extremes by the Speedtail. Certain McLaren constants are maintained: It has a carbon-tub frame, is accessed via dihedral doors and powered by a familiar twin-turbo V8. Likewise, it's lighter, faster and more driver-focused than anything you might consider an alternative. But for all that, the McLaren GT is a standalone product outside of the established Sport Series, Super Series and Ultimate Series model hierarchy. It's a car McLaren customers said they wanted. Consequently, it's the car McLaren is going to give them. The McLaren GT, in essence, slots a segment below the 720S but uses a version of its torquier 4.0-liter V8, dubbed M840TE and fitted with smaller, faster-spooling turbos for a flatter torque curve. A bassy, more sophisticated engine note is also promised. Its 612 horsepower and 465 pound-feet are mid-pack numbers for McLaren, but don't worry, it'll still break 200 mph and scorch 0-60 in 3.1 seconds and 0-124 mph in 9 seconds flat. At a curb weight of 3,384 pounds wet, it fulfills McLaren's "superlight" descriptor by coming in comfortably lighter than the 911 Turbo S, Aston Martin DB11 and Ferrari Portofino that McLaren sees as rivals. U.S. sales will kick off late summer to early fall, with pricing starting at $210,000 — around $80,000 less than a 720S and more or less in line with a 570S Spider. An image of a Ferrari 250 SWB in a McLaren presentation has folk looking up from their phones, product management boss Ian Digman clearly enjoying the provocation before going back on brand with an image of Bruce McLaren sitting in the road-going M6 GT. His point is clear — true GT cars are lightweight and pure in sporting intent while having enough refinement to rack up fast miles in comfort.

Mario Andretti sees familiar spark in Fernando Alonso at Indy

INDIANAPOLIS - Mario Andretti sees the same spark in Fernando Alonso that drove him to take on all comers at race tracks around the world and said he believes the Spaniard is a threat to win the Indianapolis 500. Alonso set the motor racing world abuzz last month when he said he had been granted clearance by his McLaren Formula One team to miss the Monaco Grand Prix and race in the 101st Indy 500 on May 28 in pursuit of the sport's famed 'Triple Crown' - a Formula One title and Indy 500 and Le Mans wins. While Graham Hill is the only driver to achieve the feat, Andretti also stands alone as the only driver to win a Formula One world championship, an Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500. "I embraced the challenges that's why I did it because I was curious," Andretti told Reuters before Alonso settled into the cockpit of an IndyCar for the first time on Wednesday. "Some drivers are very happy specializing. I wasn't. "I see the same spark in Alonso. "I commend him for doing this. I know how he feels because this was always my challenge to go into somebody else's sandbox and see if I could win at their own game. "There's nothing better than that." Despite Alonso having won 32 grands prix and two drivers championships, the 35-year-old was required to undergo IndyCar's rookie orientation program on Wednesday in order to get used to the unique environment of oval racing at the famed 2.5 mile (4km) Brickyard course. "Here you have constant high speed on a super speedway and it is incredibly different from what his (Alonso's) specialty is which is basically road racing," added Andretti. "It's not that he is going to be foreign to 220 mph plus but what he is going to be foreign to is cornering at 220mph plus. "That's the part that obviously he is going to have to deal with and learn how to approach it." McLaren will enter the race with a Honda-engined Indy car run by Andretti Autosport, owned by former McLaren driver Michael Andretti, who put together a detailed game plan for Alonso that began in a simulator. Alonso impressed on Wednesday as he quickly got up to speed with a fastest lap of 222.548 mph (356.825 kph) but Andretti said there was still a lot for him to learn. "As you get closer to qualifying then he is going to have to start flirting with the limit of the car. That's when it gets precarious," said Andretti. "At these speeds when you're flirting with the limits of the car and ready to go then you have to have a pretty good feel.

Drive a McLaren | The List #650

Race cars are meant for the track, not the road. As you might expect, you can't just buy a Formula One car and drive it around town. But what if one of the most decorated brands in F1 took all of that past experience and intelligence and put it toward making a street car? Well lucky for us, we don't have to ask "what if," because McLaren does that on a daily basis. On this episode of The List, our hosts Jessi and Patrick get to learn about the founder of the brand, Bruce McLaren, and the legacy he's left behind. Bruce started racing and building cars when he was only 15 years old, so it's not surprising that he went on to create one of the most iconic automotive companies of all time. According to Patrick, driving a McLaren, "makes you feel like a racecar driver" which was no doubt the intent of Bruce all those years ago. After discussing the fascinating history of the brand, our hosts hit the streets in a McLaren 650S. "We've been in some fun cars and this car is going to blow your mind," Patrick said as he navigated a winding English road. Get ready to experience the race-bred performance of McLaren on this episode of The List. Click here to find more episodes of The List Click here to learn more about our hosts, Jessi and Patrick McLaren Coupe Performance Supercars The List Videos Original Video mclaren p1 mclaren 650s spider bruce mclaren mclaren technology centre