2022 Mclaren 765lt Spider on 2040-cars

Auto blog

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.

Fernando Alonso expects to retire after McLaren-Honda

When Fernando Alonso was three years old, his father gave him a model of a McLaren-Honda grand prix car. That's where his path to Formula One started, and it's where he wants his career to end as well. Speaking with Autosport, the two-time world champion indicated that he intends to retire after he's done at McLaren, rather than switch to another team. Of course, he didn't indicate just when that would be, but as far as he's concerned, the road ends in Woking. The highly rated and immensely successful Spanish driver has been on the grid for fourteen years now. He started out with Minardi (precursor to Toro Rosso) in 2001, then spent four seasons with Renault, where he scored back-to-back world titles. He then switched to McLaren for one year, where he won four races, then back to Renault for another three where he and the team fell off their form. Fernando subsequently switched to Ferrari where he spent the last five seasons, thrice finishing second in the world championship but never quite managing to clinch an elusive third title. This year he's back at McLaren but has had a bumpy start. After crashing during a pre-season test session, he sat out the season opener, and failed to finish the second round in Malaysia. He's now in Shanghai preparing for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. Like this writer, he'll be turning 34 in July, making him the fourth oldest driver on the grid this year. So he's still got a good few years in him, and will likely want to see the troubled rekindling of the McLaren-Honda partnership through to winning form. But while nobody can tell what the future will bring, it looks like any other team that hopes to lure the champ away could end up disappointed.

McLaren prices new 650S from $265,500

Just whisper the name "McLaren" and you know you're talking about something expensive. Just how expensive depends on which model you're talking about. McLaren sold all 375 examples of the P1 at $1.15 million. The 12C coupe starts just under $240k and the 12C Spider at $265k. The upcoming P13 should come in around $160k, and the P15 around $500k. But how much will the new 650S set you back? With the 650S set to make its US debut at the New York Auto Show next week, McLaren Automotive has released official pricing and performance figures for our market. The 650S coupe will set you back $265,500, while the 650S Spider starts at $280,225. That makes the new model about $15k more expensive than the less powerful 12C on which it's based. Or to put it another way, it falls right in the middle of the Ferrari 458 range: the Italia starts at $233k, the Spider at $257k and the Speciale (the version with which you could really compare the 650S most directly) approaches $300k. Along with the pricing info, McLaren (having quoted the 0-62 time at three seconds flat) has also revealed the official 0-60 time at 2.9 seconds. Couple that with a quarter-mile time of 10.5 seconds and a 207-mph top speed (for the coupe) and you're looking at an eminently capable supercar. Scope out all the details (including Canadian pricing for those bent on driving their McLaren in the snow) in the press release below. McLAREN AUTOMOTIVE ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN PRICING AHEAD OF NEW YORK AUTO SHOW DEBUT - New McLaren 650S Coupe and Spider now available in North America - US pricing for 650S Coupe starts at USD $265,500 and USD $280,225 for the 650S Spider - Canadian pricing for 650S Coupe and Spider is CAD $287,000 and CAD $305,500 respectively - McLaren 650S to make US debut during the 2014 New York Auto Show Following the global debut at the Geneva Auto Show, the McLaren 650S Coupe and 650S Spider are now on sale in the US and Canada across all 15 retail locations (13 in the US, two in Canada). Of these 15, McLaren Atlanta, McLaren Scottsdale, McLaren Washington DC and McLaren Vancouver were opened in the past six months and reflect the tremendous growth and success of McLaren in North America. As the first example of the McLaren 650S rolled off the line at the state-of-the-art McLaren Production Centre in Woking, McLaren Automotive has released performance numbers and confirmed pricing as part of the global debut at the 84th International Geneva Motor Show.