2023 Mclaren Artura on 2040-cars

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McLaren applies to trademark 'Sabre' with USPTO

In October 2018, The Supercar Blog dished on how exotic car collector and Instagram user dan_am_i had arranged with McLaren's MSO division to procure a special supercar. The working name of the new coupe was "Bespoke Commission BC-03," and it was rumored to be a road-going take on McLaren's Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo concept from October 2017. The Woking automaker's Vision GT was a track-only single-seater with 1,134 horsepower and 940 pound-feet of torque erupting from a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 powering the rear wheels and two high-output electric motors powering the fronts. Last October, someone put renders of the BC-03 on Instagram (pictured), the car's lines spread over a design spectrum stretching from the Senna to the Vision GT. Grand Tour Nation recently came across a trademark application McLaren submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to reserve the name "McLaren Sabre." A saber, as our brand of English spells it, is defined in its noun form as "a heavy cavalry sword with a curved blade and a single cutting edge," in its verb form as to "cut down or wound with a saber." Based on a few bits of circumstantial evidence that we found at the McLaren Life forum, we believe the name will be applied to the production version of the BC-03.   Compare the BC-03 renders to this Instagram post of a camouflaged, fire-spewing McLaren caught testing after dark last September on what appears to be a track. It features the same shark fin and wing, same exhaust placement, same diffuser, very similar graphic over the engine bay. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In January of this year, Instagram user cococulture_ had business at the McLaren customer design studio. While there, they logged video of a scale version of the BC-03 under a cover. The caption is the gotcha:  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. After checking our notes, we feel confident affirming that "Sabre" starts with an "S." Of course, nothing is certain until McLaren puts the coupe on the display stand, but the evidence lines up so far for the BC-03 to become the Sabre. The original coverage from two years ago claimed there'd be five examples made, with three of them spoken for. New numbers from McLaren Life posters say there will be 15 units built, all for the U.S. market, all reserved for McLaren Automotive's best VIP customers.

McLaren opens up the 650S Spider

A good solid year separated the release of the McLaren MP4-12C and its Spider counterpart. McLaren isn't waiting that long, however, to reveal its new 650S Spider – in fact it's presenting both versions at the same time here at the Geneva Motor Show. But while Woking has given us plenty of details and photos of the coupe to chew on in the lead up to the show, it has just now revealed the full skinny on its open-topped companion, presented here in a new shade of McLaren's signature orange. With the same 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 producing the same 641-horsepower, McLaren quotes the 0-62 mile-per-hour time for the 650S Spider at the same 3.0 seconds flat as the 650S coupe. Line up both versions and keep the pedals planted on both all the way up to 124, however, and the coupe will get there 0.2 seconds faster than the roadster. It'll take just one-tenth longer to cover a quarter mile, and it'll also top out at 204, three fewer miles per hour than the coupe, but fuel consumption is quoted as identical. In other words, the performance difference is negligible. That's because the Spider weighs just 88 pounds more than the coupe – less even than what Alfa Romeo took to chop the roof off the 4C, and the new McLaren (like the 12C Spider) uses a retractable hardtop at that, taking just 17 seconds to drop or raise at speeds of up to 19 mph. That's a pretty impressive transformation, leaving those who enjoy the best of both worlds with few reasons not to go with the roadster. But while pricing hasn't been announced, we have the distinct feeling it's not a choice many people will have to make. OPEN-TOP MCLAREN 650S SPIDER JOINS 650S COUPE IN GENEVA GLOBAL DEBUT - New McLaren 650S Spider just as engaging on road and track as fixed-roof Coupe - 0-100km/h (62 mph) takes 3.0 seconds, 0-200 km/h (124 mph) in 8.6 seconds - No reduction in torsional strength due to unique carbon fibre MonoCell chassis; similar weight, too - Two piece roof can be raised or lowered in less than 17 seconds on the move at speeds up to 30 km/h (19 mph) McLaren Automotive has now released images and full information for the convertible version of its latest model, the McLaren 650S, unveiled at the 84th International Geneva Motor Show. The McLaren 650S Spider is a no compromise open-top high performance sports car offering the same performance, handling and driver enjoyment, with the addition of a two-piece retractable hard top.

McLaren 720S Spider First Drive Review | Absolutely corrupted by power

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." What English writer and historian John Dalberg-Acton said is true. I have absolutely been corrupted, completely and irrevocably, by the McLaren 720S Spider. And it's all because of the power. I drove the brand-new supercar on a route that took me from the urban sprawl of Phoenix to the more peaceful surroundings of Payson across some open stretches of highway in Arizona. I learned a lot along the way. But the one fact that overwhelms everything else is that the 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 engine installed in the McLaren 720S Spider feels almost otherworldly powerful. With a dry weight of 2,937 pounds, the Spider weighs just 108 pounds more than the 720S hardtop. That's going to have a very small impact on performance, but you won't feel any difference from behind the wheel — 710 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque have a way of masking a few extra pounds. Foot to the floor, there's a brief moment right off idle where turbo lag almost makes the 720S Spider's engine feel like it may be a disappointment. Almost. And then all hell breaks loose. McLaren says the 720S Spider will accelerate from 0-60 in 2.8 seconds on its way to a 10.4-second quarter mile (just 0.1 seconds slower than the coupe) and 212-mph top speed. Drop the top and terminal velocity falls to a positively pedestrian 202. While we're on the topic of stopwatch measurements, it takes just 11 seconds to raise or retract the electrically operated folding roof. The rear window glass also raises to minimize wind turbulence in the cabin or lowers to let in the elements and the wail of the engine's exhaust note. I kept everything lowered as much as possible to fully experience the open-air nature of the Spider, but when a sudden rainstorm rolled in, the fact that the top can be folded up or down at speeds of up to 31 mph came in handy. With the top in place, I was able to enjoy another cool new feature that isn't shared with the rest of McLaren's lineup of Spiders. An electrochromic glass panel can turn mostly transparent or deeply tinted at the touch of a button. The roof, which is paired with a translucent set of flying buttresses just aft of the passenger compartment, offers a feeling of airiness and visibility that is unrivaled among the Spider's competitive set.