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McLaren P1 throwing down the gauntlet with 6:30 Nurburgring lap time?

The magic mark at the Nurburgring once stood in the sevens. Anything that could lap the vaunted Nordschleife in less than eight minutes was considered biblically fast. But with all manner of vehicles clocking lap times that start with a seven, the goal post has moved below the seven-minute mark and into the sixes. Discounting barely-legal track cars from Radical, whose LMP-style pseudo-racers top the time charts, the Porsche 918 Spyder holds the record as the fastest street-legal production car ever to lap the Ring at 6:57. A blindingly fast lap time, to be sure, but the 918 isn't the only new hybrid hypercar in its class. According to official factory statements, the McLaren P1 has lapped the winding German circuit in under seven minutes. And rumor has it that its actual lap time, though not confirmed, was clocked at 6:47. That would already make it considerably faster than the Porsche, but that's not the end of the story. According to an unnamed inside source cited by Autocar, the P1 has actually lapped the Nurburgring in "six minutes 30 something." That would make it nearly half a minute faster than the Porsche, and a good ten seconds quicker even than the Radical SR8 LM. For its part, McLaren has yet to confirm the time, but we're sure it will in due course. For that matter, though Maranello has tested the new LaFerrari to the track, it has yet to announce any official time. But with the gauntlet thrown down, we wouldn't be surprised to see a scarlet-clad test team heading north to Germany in the near future. The last time they did, they clocked a 6:58 lap time with the 599XX, but while production-based, that car was never meant to drive on public streets. Featured Gallery McLaren P1 N?rburgring Run View 11 Photos News Source: Autocar McLaren Coupe Performance mclaren p1

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

Ross Brawn retiring from F1 after 16 World Championships

Ross Brawn, an icon of Formula One and one of the people most responsible for the successes of Michael Schumacher, has announced that he's officially retiring from the world of motorsport. Following the return of Ron Dennis to McLaren, many outlets speculated that the 59-year-old would join the Woking-based outfit. Instead, Brawn went fishing. "This is the busiest time of the year for Formula One, and I said I would come along and open the River Dee. If [the media] had put two and two together they would have realized I was definitely retiring," Brawn told The Daily Telegraph. "I'm retiring - it's not tongue in cheek," Brawn said of his fishing trip. "I'm going to take a year to enjoy the fishing and then see what life brings. I'm looking forward to it but I've got no other plans." Last week, Brawn was inducted into Motor Sport magazine's hall of fame, where he said he would "never say never" to coming back to F1, according to the Telegraph. But based on his recent comments, Brawn seems thoroughly committed to his retirement. The 59-year-old Brit's career has seen him capture eight World Constructors' Championships with three teams - Benetton, Ferrari and his own Brawn GP team - while Michael Schumacher captured seven World Drivers' Championships and Jenson Button took one title on Brawn-run teams. News Source: The Daily TelegraphImage Credit: Andre Penner / AP Celebrities Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Motorsports McLaren scuderia ferrari brawn gp ross brawn brawn