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McLaren Special Ops murders out unique 650S design concept

Whether you're driving it for the attention or for the performance capabilities, you're bound to get noticed behind the wheel of a supercar like a McLaren. But what if you live in a place like Beverly Hills, Monte Carlo, London, Abu Dhabi or Singapore – communities where supercars are as common as hipsters are in Brooklyn? You wouldn't want to be caught driving the same supercar as the next guy, so you'll want to make yours your own. That's where McLaren Special Operations comes in. McLaren's own in-house personalization division has, until now, only really demonstrated the range of its capabilities on the 12C. Now that the 650S is here, though, Woking's special ops division has wasted no time in showing it can do with McLaren's latest, rolling out this unique design concept. The MSO 650S Coupe Concept is decked out in a deep red-flaked, black paintjob with contrasting satin black details. The alloys, shod with Pirelli P Zero Corsa rubber, get a satin black finish, as do the added carbon-fiber components, including enlarged side blades, diffuser and adaptive rear wing. Inside the concept is fitted with the fixed-back carbon racing buckets and carbon black leather, with more satin carbon trim. The concept is currently on tour in China to drum up some sales, but though it is, strictly speaking, a one-off, many of the components are available to fit to a 650S coupe or Spider (or for that matter an existing 12C) from the MSO catalog. Scope out the details below and the images in the gallery above for a closer look. McLAREN SPECIAL OPERATIONS SHOWCASES MSO 650S COUPE CONCEPT IN CHINA - Unique design concept shown ahead of China tour - Bespoke upgrades developed by MSO offer optimised aerodynamic performance and more dramatic appearance - Range of new styling options available for the McLaren 650S Coupe and 650S Spider many of which can also be fitted to the previous 12C models McLaren Special Operations, the bespoke division of McLaren Automotive, has released images of the MSO 650S Coupe Concept – a showcase of the MSO designed and engineered upgrades available for the McLaren 650S Coupe and 650S Spider, the latest models to join to the McLaren Automotive range. The model is being shown throughout China over the coming weeks and includes an array of bespoke MSO features, including a newly designed carbon fibre rear diffuser and MSO-branded carbon fibre side blades.

McLaren P1 LM is the world's most extreme, exclusive supercar

As fast as it is, and as deep as its manufacturer's roots may run in motor racing, the McLaren P1 was designed from the get-go as a road-going supercar. The subsequent P1 GTR adapted it for use exclusively on the track, but now Lanzante has put it back on the road in the form of the new P1 LM. For those unfamiliar, Lanzante is the outfit that campaigned the original McLaren F1 GTR to such great success at Le Mans back in 1995. Following the 28 examples of the F1 GTR, McLaren built another six examples of the F1 LM, kept one and sold the other five – each based on the GTR's specs but modified for road use. Now Lanzante has unearthed that playbook again with the release of the new McLaren P1 LM. Among the steps Lanzante took in transforming the P1 GTR to road spec involved retuning the hybrid powertrain to keep the output at 986 horsepower while running on 99-octane pump gas and at higher temperatures. The automaker saved a good 130 pounds compared to the GTR by ditching the onboard air-jacking system, fitting polycarbonate windows, refabricating the exhaust and cat pipes out of lightweight Inconel and the bolts out of titanium. It even insulated the engine bay in gold leaf – just like the original F1. Lanzante also fitted an exposed carbon-fiber roof, new rolling stock and steering wheel (replete with switchgear like a modern grand prix racer's). It trimmed the interior in Alcantara, and mounted a bigger front splitter and rear wing to increase downforce by 40 percent. The result ought to make for one frighteningly extreme ride, likely to be capable of embarrassing just about anything else on the road or track. We'll try not to be too tempted, though, as Lanzante – mirroring the original – will only make six examples and sell five: one in dark gray (like the prototype pictured) and another four in orange. Given the extensive modifications and the $2 million or so McLaren charged for the P1 GTR in the first place, we don't even want to know how much it would cost to put one in our driveway. We'll be watching, though, to see it run up the hill at Goodwood tomorrow at the hands of McLaren factory driver (and former Indy 500 winner) Kenny Brack, who'll also set up each of the customer examples at the Nurburgring. Related Video: THE McLAREN P1 LM Background Lanzante Ltd. first became globally synonymous with the McLaren name when it ran the semi-works McLaren F1 GTR that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995.

Formula 1 seeking independent engine supplier

Formula 1 could get a new engine supplier in the near future, if Bernie Ecclestone and the independent teams gets their way. According to Autosport, the FIA is soon to open the contract up for bids, and there are already several manufacturers that have expressed interest. Currently Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault, and Honda supply engines – both to their own premier teams (Red Bull and McLaren for the latter two) but also to other teams like Williams, Sauber, and Toro Rosso. Because the new turbocharged V6 hybrid power units cost those four suppliers so much to develop, they're charging their customer teams big bucks – around $20-30 million per season – to provide the engines. These costs are much higher than the $10 million or so it used to cost to purchase a V8 engine under the previous regulations. Ecclestone figures it's time to bring in another supplier who will not run their own team and not play favorites, but will supply engines to private teams at a lower cost. There are already a number of potential suppliers under consideration. One of them is said to be Cosworth, which has a long history in the series stretching back to 1963. The British firm stepped back between 2007 and 2009, returned in 2010, and dropped out again after 2013. The development could be of particular benefit to Red Bull, which has been unable to find an engine supplier and could be forced out of the series as a result. The team has long been powered by Renault, but that relationship has grown sour. And the other three engine manufacturers have not been forthcoming in offering an alternative arrangement for the team. Related Video: News Source: AutosportImage Credit: Cosworth Motorsports Ferrari Honda Infiniti McLaren Mercedes-Benz Renault F1 engine contract