2023 Mclaren Artura on 2040-cars

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2020 McLaren GT First Drive Review | Grand touring the McLaren way

ST. ANDRE LES ALPES, France — The roads snaking through these ragged mountain ranges are dubbed the Route Napoleon after the French rulerÂ’s treacherous journey from the Cote dÂ’Azur through the French Alps in 1815. The asphalt ribbon squiggles over, alongside, and literally through mountain ranges with a scrawl so rambunctious it would challenge a race-prepped Lotus Elise, let alone a high-horsepower grand tourer. This is why weÂ’re here – to put the 2020 McLaren GT and its mission statement to the test on the least direct path from A to B. The GT isnÂ’t technically the first McLaren with grand touring intentions: the 570 GT launched in 2016 as a softer, quieter way to span long distances. But the new model is the brandÂ’s first fully-formed expression of whip-through-the-corners-but-drive-all-day-in-comfort versatility. McLaren trod carefully when tweaking its winning supercar formula for long-distance friendliness, while maintaining the sharpness weÂ’d need to tackle the notorious Route Napoleon. After all, McLarenÂ’s new GT would damage the brandÂ’s street cred if it was too soft, and miss the mark if it allowed occupant fatigue to enter into the equation. McLaren says it modified about two-thirds of existing hardware to strike the ideal balance, and the exterior appears to be an accurate sculptural representation of those changes. The body panels look subtler in person, countering those who suggest similarities to the Corvette C8. The GT is a bit more flared and angular, and utilizes some flat expanses of sheetmetal to hide its larger footprint. The body actually measures 6 inches longer than the 570GT, with notable overhangs front and rear. Nevertheless, there's a very usable 10-degree approach angle, or 13 degrees with the optional vehicle lift feature, which are numbers on par with the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The GTÂ’s dihedral doors slide up easily after pressing a small, spring-loaded section of the side panel. Inside is typical McLaren — not too preciously ornamented nor overtly austere like some Teutonic carmakers. The steering wheel and paddle shifters in my tester are finished in a nicely polished aluminum finish that echo the milled materials used in the various switchgear and controls. Buttons are kept to a minimum on the center console and there are none on the steering wheel, while McLarenÂ’s twin dials for controlling drivetrain and handling settings remain.

McLaren shows off personalization options for the Speedtail

The entire McLaren Speedtail production run has been spoken for, and McLaren wants to make sure no two Speedtails are exactly the same. A wide range of personalization options is offered to the 106 clients that have put down a deposit for the upcoming "Hyper-GT," and McLaren has now disclosed how it plans to make the cars unique. The 250-mph 1050-horsepower gasoline-hybrid cars will be available from early 2020 on, so there's a year's time to configure them according to one's taste. The supercar maker has recently showed off some of its special editions, and the Speedtail configuration options follow in the same exquisite vein. First of all, there are three style collections, which themselves have been divided into different themes depending of the customer's needs. The main collections are called Urbane, Visionary and Dynamic: the first of them is a subdued and sophisticated setting, the second a more striking and vibrant one, and the third a more futuristic one. The Urbane trim level includes the Stratosphere theme that shows off the car in "gloss 1k visual carbon fiber," the highlights of which are accentuated by a "contour pack" and anodized aluminum brightwork. The Visionary trim's Astral theme mainly features navy blue in various ways, contrasting with the car's silver-striped orange bodywork, again complete with glossy carbon fiber but now with white gold. As for the Dynamic collection, it can be tied in with the Bloodline theme, which combines a red car with a red driver seat but with aniline passenger seats, highlighting the central throne. There are countless ways to option the 106 cars' surfaces and features, especially when McLaren's MSO division is added to the table. McLaren also reminds that there are options such as electro-chromatic window tints that function as sun visors, or that one can add more carbon or white gold if desired. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery McLaren Speedtail collections McLaren Coupe Hybrid Performance Supercars McLaren Speedtail

Jenson Button expected to announce F1 retirement

One of the biggest question marks looming over the Formula One paddock has been over what will become of Jenson Button. The former world champion has struggled to perform of late, and as one of the oldest drivers on the grid, is nearing the end of his career. And according to the Daily Telegraph, he's about to announce his retirement. Button has been on the grid every season since his debut with Williams in 2000. But as his current team McLaren has fallen off pace, so has Button – particularly as both struggle to work out the kinks in the new Honda engine package. And unlike Benjamin Button, he's not getting any younger. With the benefit of his own considerable experience, Button won out over his previous teammate Kevin Magnussen to keep his race seat after Fernando Alonso arrived in Woking. But while he's enjoyed Honda's support, team principal Ron Dennis has reportedly turned sour on Button's staying with the team, preferring to promote a younger driver in Button's place. Rather than leave it up to the team to decide, however – or seeking a drive with another team – word has it that Jenson is preparing to go out on his own terms, and is set to announce his retirement at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. Button's departure would leave two questions open: For one, what will he do next? And for another, who will McLaren hire to fill his racing shoes? For Jenson's part, he could end up combining a drive at Le Mans with a television career. He's been linked to talks with Porsche, where other experienced F1 drivers like Mark Webber and Nico Hulkenberg have found success. But sources also point towards a potential Rallycross drive, and we wouldn't be terribly surprised to see him compete in GT racing for McLaren or the Super GT series for Honda. Affable and skilled in working behind the camera, Button has also been linked with potentially joining Chris Evans on the new cast of a rebooted Top Gear. As for McLaren, it has two emerging talents in reserve. One is the aforementioned Danish driver Kevin Magnussen, who raced for the team last season but was told to wait in the wings. After winning the pivotal Formula Renault 3.5 title in 2013, Magnussen impressed with a second-place finish on his F1 race debut in Australia last year. He could, however, accept a race seat with another team for next season rather than wait (as Button had to) for McLaren to make its decision.