McLaren 750S Spider, page #12

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McLaren evaluating an EV hypercar for the P1 family

McLaren is evaluating a fully electric powertrain for a future Ultimate Series of model – a family that currently includes the P1 and P1 GTR (pictured above). The possible hypercar could give wealthy customers an ideal combination of insane performance and zero emissions. Look out for significantly more hybrids from the British sports car maker, too. McLaren doesn't have any specific details about the EV yet because the development is still in the early stages. "Our engineers have even started work on a one-off prototype to evaluate the possible benefits of a fully-electric powertrain in an Ultimate Series car," McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt said. The P1 already sports a hybrid powertrain, but the company wants to bring electrification to its less expensive Sports and Super Series models, too. "Our next hybrid vehicle will launch towards the latter part of our six-year plan, and we will see at least 50 percent featuring hybrid technology by 2022," Flewitt said. To fund so much powertrain development, McLaren's latest business plan includes investing a billion pounds ($1.4 billion at current exchange rates) over the next six years into research and development. Beyond electrification, the other fruits of that labor will be launching 15 cars or derivatives over that period and a new engine architecture around the end of that time. The company will have to deliver on plans to double output this year to continue putting so much money into vehicle development. Related Video: McLAREN AUTOMOTIVE LAUNCHES SIX-YEAR INVESTMENT PROGRAMME IN FUTURE PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGY Six-year 'Track22' Business Plan announced GBP1 billion investment in Research and Development over six-years of plan 15 all-new cars or derivatives under development At least 50 percent of McLaren cars to feature hybrid technology by 2022 Fully-electric prototype in the Ultimate Series under evaluation Just over six years after the company was formed, McLaren Automotive has announced details of its Track22 Business Plan, taking it through the next six years through to 2022. Maintaining a spotlight on the development of the world best drivers' cars, McLaren Automotive will continue to focus purely on the development of two-seater sports and supercars. At the heart of the Business Plan is a commitment to its industry-leading 20-25 percent of turnover invested in Research and Development for future products and technology.

The McLaren 570GT is slower and softer, and maybe that's a good thing

If there was ever a car that could do with a bit less going on, it's the new McLaren 570S. The company's design chief, Robert Melville, says that McLaren design is a "purist statement" with no excess. We think he need to examining the prescription of his spectacles. In the case of the 570S particularly, there's a distinct possibility that less might actually be a great deal more. Now, meet the new GT version of the 570S, which makes its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next week. The on-sale date is in July, with the first US deliveries taking place in late 2016. This is a case where GT does not mean performance, but instead the traditional definition of Grand Touring. With a swipe of his felt tip pen over a just a few panels (roof, rear wings, and deck), Melville and his team transformed the look and mien of this British mid-engine supercar. They've transformed its usefulness, too, with a sizeable hatchback behind the driver and passenger that gives an additional 7.8 cubic feet of space, now 12.4 in total. As vehicle line director Andy Palmer puts it, "more than that in a Ford Focus." And he should know, having worked on that ubiquitous Ford in a former life. The side-hinged glass rear hatch means curbside loading is possible, although you'll have to luggage across the coachwork, so watch for those brass sliders and zips. The hinge side varies according to left-versus right-hand-drive markets. The redesigned aluminium panels and additional trim adds more than 80 pounds to the car's claimed weight – 2,976 pounds compared to 2,894 in the 570S. There's an associated (though negligible) reduction in acceleration time with the GT, too – 3.4 seconds to 62 miles per hour, up from 3.2 in the 570S. The larger 0-124-mph sprint takes 9.8 seconds, compared to the S' 9.5, but never fear, the top end remains unchanged at 204 mph. The basic carbon-fiber tub remains, as does the mid-mounted Ricardo designed-and-built M838TE engine – a 3.8-liter, 90-degree, quad-cam, dry-sump, twin-turbo V8, which pumps out 562 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, running through a seven-speed, twin-clutch, semi-automatic transmission to the rear wheels. There are, however, chassis changes to suit the GT car's long-distance ambitions. While a significant minority of 570S owners will take their car to the track for the occasional speedy lap or two, McLaren says that even fewer GT owners will indulge themselves like this.

How McLaren will double its output this year

McLaren Automotive is aiming to almost double its output this year, to 3,000 cars, and hit 4,000 cars per year by 2017. That's over 50 percent of Ferrari's annual production, yet the current McLaren Automotive is only six years old, based about 40 miles southwest of London in Woking. In pursuance of its lofty plans, McLaren recently announced a massive expansion its operations and is hiring another 250 assembly staff for a second shift, which will bring its total headcount to 1,750. Is it chutzpah, or rank stupidity? McLaren made just 1,654 cars last year, including the last of the 570-strong run of P1 supercars, which had an average transaction price of $1.35 million each, and all 40 or so track-only P1 GTRs, which sold for over $288 million. January saw the last P1 GTRs running down the track at Woking. Is it chutzpah, or rank stupidity? And while these cars cannot have been cheap to design and build, it's not hard to see how profitable they will have been. Given that much of the research and development (R&D) will have been amortized in the years up to the 2013 launch of the P1, the profit level has soared in subsequent years. In 2014, its second year of profit and under the leadership of chief executive Mike Flewitt, McLaren Automotive generated a profit before tax of $21.7 million, compared to $6.53 million in 2013. Turnover grew from $413.6 million in 2013 to $688.9 million in 2014. To be fair, the company is investing almost 20 percent of that turnover in R&D ($132.9 million in 2014, $97 million in 2013) and it says that level of spend as a proportion of turnover will continue, with last year's R&D cost estimated at $173.7 million. View 22 Photos In its defense, McLaren says that as a late comer it is still growing in China, which Flewitt has said could well be McLaren's second largest market in 2016 after the US and ahead of the UK and Germany. He also says that the company's growth plans are based on actual orders rather than theoretical expectations, and that since it is (and has been) profitable at 1,500 cars per year, there is some protection against a downturn. But the cars it has to sell this year are a far cry from the exotic and phantasmagorical P1 or the P1 GTR, which were only sold to existing P1 owners. The Sports Series, while being based on shared carbon-fiber tub and the same Ricardo-built 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine and seven-speed twin-clutch transmission, is a much cheaper car.

Ken Block's Gymkhana 8 to feature Dubai Police cars?

Yesterday we showed you the shiny Ford Fiesta that Ken Block will slide, spin, and hoon through the next Gymkhana video. In case the image above isn't clear, that video will drop at midnight EST on February 30th on the Ford Performance YouTube channel. We don't know all the entire premise of the video yet, but this Tweet from the man himself reveals that the video will be set in Dubai. Block is standing on the Fiesta we saw yesterday, and arrayed behind him are a handful of those famous Dubai Police cars you're probably familiar with. The force has a fleet of sportscars and supercars, and the purpose is outreach and goodwill among its citizenry, not necessarily the pursuit of criminals. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. From left to right, we can see a Maserati GranTurismo, Porsche 911, what looks to be a Nissan GT-R obscured by Block's Fiesta, a McLaren (likely a 650S), Ford Mustang, and a Ferrari 599 of some ilk. Will they take part? Maybe Block will try and run from what might be the most horsepower-intensive police fleet in the world. We'll have answers (and a few minutes of pure Block hooniganism) in a few days. Related Video:

McLaren's novel MP4-31 suspension revealed

Giorgio Piola and Matt Somerfield analyze the innovative suspension design on McLaren's new MP4-21 Formula 1 car. McLaren has openly talked about there being some 'innovation' on its 2016 Formula 1 car when the first images of the Honda-powered machine emerged on Sunday. And while there were already hints from the launch pictures about an aggressive suspension solution, it was only when the new car hit the track at Barcelona on Monday that such concepts have been confirmed. As Giorgio Piola's exclusive photograph below shows, McLaren has been very bold with its front suspension design - with the upper rear arm much lower than is normal. McLaren MP4-31 detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola It was interesting too that the team had fitted additional sensors on both of the rear arms of the wishbones to help monitor data from this area during the first day of testing. Suspension thinking Rather than an assimilation of the conjoined lower wishbone (see below), pioneered by Mercedes in 2014 and adopted elsewhere, we can see that McLaren is thinking independently. Mercedes AMG F1 Team W07 detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola The front suspension can have a marked effect on how the airflow moves down and around the rest of the car and so the teams have to carefully plan its layout, as it is exceptionally difficult to change once designed. McLaren is clearly searching for previously untapped aerodynamic performance, with the rear profile of each of the wishbone arms placed virtually on top of one another. The upper of the two is slung lower than usual, meaning it should work in unison to pull the airflow down and around the sidepod, rather into or over it. These early tests, with the sensors placed on the wishbones, are used to correlate the on track data with what the team expected when the car was tested both kinematically and aerodynamically in CFD, the wind tunnel and on the seven-post shaker rig. Red Bull push The pitlane launch of the 2016 Red Bull challenger, amongst a frenzy of other machines, means a more detailed analysis of it will follow later. However, one area of interest, like the McLaren, is the front suspension. It has converged on the idea of conjoining the lower wishbone element but, as is usual for Red Bull, it has taken it to extremes, with only a small opening now available at the inboard sections. Of course this is done for its aerodynamic purposes with the large surface area allowing a smoother transition of the airflow.

McLaren launches its 2016 car, the MP4-31

The McLaren team has presented its 2016 challenger, with which it hopes to bounce back from a very difficult 2015 season. McLaren described the new car as "innovative". The Woking-based team finished in ninth place in the constructors' championship last year after a season full of reliability problems with the Honda engine. The Japanese manufacturer returned to the sport in 2015 after having left following the 2008 season. But its power unit proved uncompetitive and unreliable and McLaren managed a fourth place in Hungary as its best result. Now the team is optimistic that several changes to the Honda engine will help turn its fortunes around in 2016. The new car, pictures of which were leaked on the Internet before the scheduled launch, continues the "size zero" philosophy it opted for last year. The MP4-31 also retains the very short nose ran last season. "As we embark on the second year of our renewed McLaren-Honda partnership, all of us remain united in our purpose," said Ron Dennis. "That purpose is to develop our team towards our shared ambition: to win. "We'll make no predictions as to when those wins will come, but I can say without fear of contradiction that every member of our team has worked with truly relentless dedication over the past few months. "The result is that MP4-31's developmental trajectory has been usefully steepened over the winter, and I'm consequently very proud of our team's efforts." McLaren's new car will kick off its testing programme tomorrow at Barcelona in the hands of Jenson Button. Related Video: This article by Pablo Elizalde originally appeared on Motorsport.com, the world's leader in auto racing news, photos and video.

McLaren exposes P1 in naked carbon fiber

McLaren only sells two vehicles (three, if you count the recently discontinued P1 hypercar), but it's promising an impressive and expansive display at next month's Geneva Motor Show. The 675LT and 570S will be joined by a pair of unique one-off vehicles from McLaren Special Operations. The headliner will be the P1 hypercar, not only because it's based on an extremely rare vehicle, but because it's absolutely stunning. MSO has ditched the paint in favor of leaving the carbon fiber body exposed with nothing more than a Lio Blue lacquer. We likey. Combined with the more traditional carbon-fiber accents, this bespoke P1 will probably stand out more than any of its 374 brothers. That's not all that's happening here, though. To pay tribute to the legendary McLaren F1, the team at MSO has covered the exhaust heatshield in 24-karat gold. The other one-off will be based on the new 675LT Spider. The Ceramic Gray paint is paired with extra carbon-fiber accents, including the entire folding roof and tonneau cover. While it's nowhere near as extensive as the P1, the extra carbon fiber on the front bumper endplates, airbrake, intakes, and rear bumper is arguably the standout about this one-off droptop. And like the P1, the exhaust heatshield is made from 24-karat gold. We'll have more on this beautiful twosome when they make their big debut at Geneva. MSO PAYS CARBON FIBRE TRIBUTE TO McLAREN P1™ AND WELCOMES 675LT SPIDER AT 2016 GENEVA MOTOR SHOW McLaren Special Operations (MSO) pays carbon fibre tribute to the outgoing McLaren P1™ MSO crafts carbon fibre-themed 675LT Spider as fastest ever, street legal convertible McLaren, which makes its public debut at Geneva after selling out in weeks Full McLaren model line-up on display showcasing the Sports Series, Super Series and Ultimate Series New stand location at the Geneva Motor Show, Stand 6040, Hall 6 McLaren Automotive will attend the Geneva Motor Show for the fourth time this year with its largest ever stand in a new location, showcasing the largest range of models from the full three-tier model line-up. Among the headlines, McLaren Special Operations (MSO) will pay a carbon fibre tribute to the McLaren P1™ which recently ceased production. MSO has also created a bespoke version of the 675LT Spider which makes its first public appearance at the show after selling out in weeks.

Wolff: Honda will emerge as strong F1 force

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has no doubts that Honda will make a success of its Formula 1 return, despite the Japanese manufacturer's disappointing time last year. Honda endured a troubled return to F1 in 2015 as it struggled with reliability and a lack of power from its new turbo V6 hybrid engine. But having made gains over the campaign, and a significant revamp of key elements of its power unit over the winter, Wolff thinks that Honda is on course to deliver. "Honda is a huge organization with lots of resource, and they were the power unit with the most impressive development curve through 2015," Wolff said in an interview with his Mercedes team's YouTube channel. "Even if it was a very difficult year for them, it was still very good what they achieved in terms of how they progressed through the season. I have no doubt they will be a strong competitive in the future." Wolff's comments come despite Mercedes engine chief Andy Cowell saying last week that he was not convinced that Honda's 'size zero' concept was the right approach for the current regulations. Manor step As well as predicting good things for Honda in the future, Wolff has predicted promising results for the Mercedes-powered Manor team in 2016. "Manor will make a big step up and not only because of the engine," said Wolff, who helped secure a drive at the Banbury-based team for Mercedes junior driver Pascal Wehrlein. "There is a good bunch of people coming together: impressive individuals, with the right budget and right attitude, and Pascal in the car. "I have confidence that the car and driver will have highlights and be a solid midfield runner." This article by Jonathan Noble originally appeared on Motorsport.com, the world's leader in auto racing news, photos and video. Related Video:

What livery would you choose for your McLaren P1 GTR?

What sort of livery would you choose for your McLaren P1 GTR? Given that McLaren will only build 35 of them, each priced at nearly $3 million and almost all of them already built by now, it's a choice few of us will ever have to make. But to give us an idea of the answers arrived at by those who have, the British constructor has provided a rare glimpse inside the McLaren P1 GTR Workshop. Located at the company's headquarters in Woking, next to the McLaren GT racing department and the McLaren Special Operations studio, the workshop is charged with looking after those examples of the P1 GTR that their owners have opted to leave in the factory's care. McLaren will bring the cars to specially organized track days and tend to them in between by a crack team of hand-selected technicians and engineers. McLaren's chief designer helps each customer choose how they want their GTR spec'd out. Pictured above are twelve of those examples. There's one in the throwback yellow and green Harrods livery in which the model was launched, one with a similar treatment in deep blue with a yellow stripe, another reminiscent of the F1 GTR's iconic FINA livery, one in a light blue camo made up of racing circuit layouts, a couple in varying shades of McLaren's signature orange, and a handful inspired by the outfit's more recent grand prix racing liveries – including one that looks just like the concept from Monterey. Of course, each P1 GTR is mechanically identical, with their 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 hybrid powertrains tuned to deliver 986 horsepower, unburdened by excess weight, and with aggressive aero. The first seven took part in the first track session at Catalunya in Spain this past October, and they will forever wear a special badge to boast as such. But there'll be more to come this year, including one at Silverstone, another at Spa, a trip to Abu Dhabi, and another to Austin right here in America. Aside from shipping the cars themselves, the staff at the workshop put together 80 metric tons of support equipment for each session. Related Video:

McLaren opening four new dealerships in America

McLaren is opening four new dealerships in the United States. The addition of the new locations bring the company's North American presence up to 22 showrooms, and its global dealer network up to 80. And they're opening just in time for the arrival of the manufacturer's new and (relatively) more accessible Sports Series. The new dealerships are located in Boston, Houston, Palm Beach, and Bergen County, NJ. McLaren Boston will open as part of the Village Automotive Group, adjacent to its existing Audi and Porsche showrooms on Pond Street in Norwell, MA. McLaren Houston will be a stand-alone showroom being opened by Park Place, a network principally centered around the Dallas area with dealerships selling exotic machinery from the likes of Bentley, Bugatti, Lotus, Maserati, Porsche, and Rolls-Royce. McLaren Palm Beach will join the Myers Auto Group alongside its Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin franchises on South Dixie Highway. And finally McLaren Bergen County will form part of the Prestige Family of Fine Cars, with its Lamborghini, Jaguar, and other brands currently located in Paramus while the new showroom is built in Ramsey, NJ. These join the existing locations in Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Calabasas (LA), Chicago, Dallas, Long Island, Miami, Newport Beach, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Tampa Bay, as well as Rancho Mirage, CA, Scottsdale, AZ, Greenwich, CT, and Washington, DC. Vancouver and Toronto have McLaren dealers as well, as does Mexico City (though that's counted together with the showroom in Chile in the Latin America region). By comparison, Aston Martin has 37 dealers in the United States (and five in Canada). Lamborghini has 31 in the US (plus four in Canada) out of its 130+ worldwide. And Ferrari has 38 in the US (and five in Canada) out of its approximately 200 locations around the world. The expansion of McLaren's dealer network coincides with the arrival of the new Sports Series - represented here by the 570S – which promises to open a whole new market segment for the British automaker. Priced below anything Ferrari or Lamborghini can offer, the 570S takes aim at the Audi R8 and Porsche 911 Turbo. Its launch stands to increase McLaren's sales drastically in the coming years: last year the company delivered a record 1,654, but with the introduction of the Sports Series, it aims to increase that number to 4,000 annually by the end of next year.