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McLaren GT reveals new track-bound 650S Sprint

McLaren has been keeping itself busy over the summer preparing for Pebble Beach – especially at the Special Operations and GT divisions. The former will roll in to the Concours d'Elegance this month with a pair of specially prepared supercars, but it's McLaren GT that's sure to steal the spotlight. Because it will not only unveil the P1 GTR in Monterey this year, but also the 650S Sprint you see here. As we anticipated back in April, the 650S Sprint will replace the outgoing 12C Sprint as McLaren's new track toy. Slotting in between the road-going 650S and the new 650S GT3 racer, the 650S Sprint is optimized for the race track, but not homologated for any particular racing series. In other words, it's designed as a play thing for wealthy enthusiasts. Presented in an inverse color scheme to the 650S GT3, with black and orange over white bodywork, the new Sprint car features a number of upgrades over the road-going model. For starters, it's got more downforce and better cooling for the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8. Though McLaren hasn't specified increased output, it has confirmed that both the engine and gearbox have been recalibrated for track duty. It's also got a competition-spec fuel tank with quick-fill cap, enlarged radiator, retuned suspension, Pirelli racing slicks on 19-inch center-lock wheels, upgraded brakes, on-board air jack system, fire suppression system and a stripped-out cabin with FIA-approved roll cage, HANS-ready racing buckets and six-point harnesses. Given that a large share of these are sure to find homes on tracks along the Persian Gulf, keeping the air conditioning system in place, despite the focus on saving weight, was probably a good idea. McLaren GT is pricing the 650S Sprint in the UK at GBP198,000 (including local taxes). That's negligibly few grand more than the road-going 650S (or, for that matter, the previous 12C Sprint), but since the 650S Sprint is confined to the track, it's a an even more indulgent purchase. TRACK-FOCUSED 650S SPRINT TO MAKE GLOBAL PREMIERE AT 2014 PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE McLaren GT has today confirmed that it will premiere its latest model at this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, with the wraps set to come off the track-only 650S Sprint. The stripped-out racer will make its global debut alongside a number of other models from McLaren Automotive, and completes the brand's display with four global debuts planned for the Californian event, including the McLaren P1™ GTR.

McLaren unveils the commuter-ready 540C in China

China just said hello to the second and final model in the McLaren Sports Series when the 540 Club, also known as the 540C, was introduced at the Shanghai Motor Show. In becoming the "most attainable McLaren yet" the new coupe cedes a bit to the 570S, getting by with 533 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque from the company-standard 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 instead of 562 hp and 443 lb-ft as found in the 570S. The run from 0-62 miles per hour takes 3.5 seconds, up 0.3 seconds from its sibling, and top speed is 199 mph, down five mph. You get the carbon fiber MonoCell II tub, while the bits around it have been tailored more for daily driving. The dihedral doors enclose a more accommodating portal of entry, the cabin was "created with a focus on space and ergonomics," and the adaptive dampers are tuned for buyers who want to use this as a commuter car. It can be discerned from the more powerful offering by a tweaked nose design and model-specific cast aluminum wheels. Even with losing the carbon fiber brakes of the 570S, the 540C will come in at 2,890 pounds, five pounds lighter than the big brother. The upshot of all of this is that you save some dosh, the 540C expected to sell for as low as $160,000 when deliveries begin early next year, compared to $184,900 for the 570S. Pitting apples against apples, the 570S starts at 143,250 pounds, the 540C will be 126,000 pounds. It's aimed at the Chinese market and the company still hasn't said if it will officially come to the US, but we hear that it can be ordered through dealers anywhere in the world. The press release below has more information. Related Video: THE McLAREN 540C COUPE IS UNVEILED IN SHANGHAI AS THE SECOND MODEL IN THE SPORTS SERIES - 540C Coupe completes the two car line-up in the McLaren Sports Series - Most attainable McLaren yet, introducing the brand to a new audience - Joins the recently launched 570S Coupe in the McLaren Sports Series - A pure sports car bringing McLaren DNA to the segment for the first time - 540PS and 540NM: 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in 3.5 seconds, top speed of 320km/h (199mph) McLaren will launch its second model in the new Sports Series, the McLaren 540C Coupe, at the Shanghai Motor Show, 20-29 April 2015. The most attainable McLaren yet, the 540C Coupe joins the recently revealed 570S Coupe in the Sports Series as the brand brings its race derived DNA to a new audience and segment.

McLaren 570S kicks off new Sport Series

McLaren makes sports cars. Right? Well, not quite: it has until now made supercars like the 650S, and what you might call hypercars like the P1. But Woking has long been previewing its upcoming assault on the sports car market with the introduction of its new, (relatively) more accessible Sports Series. And at long last, here it is. It's called the 570S, and it represents McLaren's first foray into the upper end of the sports car market populated by models like the Porsche 911 Turbo, Audi R8 and Mercedes-AMG GT. It's based, of course, around the same basic parameters as its higher-end stablemates, and that means a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, mounted smack in the middle of a carbon monocoque chassis. 30 percent of the engine components have been redesigned, and instead of kicking out 641 horsepower like the 650S or 903 hp like the hybrid P1, the 570S (as its name suggests) offers 570 metric horsepower. That's 562 hp by our count, backed up by 443 pound-feet of torque. That's quoted to be enough to send the baby Mac from a standstill to 62 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds, to 124 in 9.5 and on to a top speed of 204 mph. (All of which is even more impressive when you consider, as McLaren claims, that its low fuel consumption means the 570S will be exempt from the gas-guzzler tax.) There'll be a less potent, more accessible version positioned alongside it, but the point is clear: a McLaren can be no slouch, and the new Sports Series is no exception. The performance is enabled by its light weight: the redesigned MonoCell II chassis weighs just 80 kilograms (176 pounds), contributing to a 2,895-pound dry weight that McLaren says is over 350 pounds lighter than its nearest competitor, contributing to a power-to-weight ratio of 434 metric horsepower per ton. The tub has been redesigned to allow for easier ingress and egress, making the prospect of using it as a daily driver that much more realistic. It even has the upwards-swinging dihedral doors that are a signature of every road-going McLaren, and which you'd usually only find on a vehicle a couple of categories up the market. The overall size is roughly comparable to that of a 911 or R8 – barely any longer, a little wider and a little stouter in height. It's actually a little longer than the 650S (but shorter than the 675LT) and comes cloaked in aluminum body panels that bare more than a passing resemblance to the shapes of its big brothers.