2023 Mclaren Artura on 2040-cars

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Chris Harris gets his mitts on McLaren 675LT at Silverstone

When McLaren came out with the 650S, it boasted that it was already more powerful not only than the Ferrari 458 Italia, but more potent than the 458 Speciale as well. You'd think that would have meant that Woking's work was done, but the British racing team turned supercar manufacturer has never been one to leave well enough alone – especially now that Maranello has followed Woking's lead with the twin-turbo V8-powered 488 GTB. Hence the 675LT, which Chris Harris drives in his latest video. Based on the same Super Series underpinnings as the 650S, the 675LT is not so much an exercise in "less is more," but rather "less and more." It's got less weight and less electronic intervention, but more power, more downforce, and more grip. It's also more exclusive, with only 500 to be built and every last one of them already spoken for as production gets under way. Letting the auto scribe and video host known as Monkey get his hands all over it and slide it all over Silverstone, then, doesn't so much represent a chance for McLaren to boost sales, but to show off what it can do. And for us, in turn, to enjoy the visual benefits of those efforts. (The biggest geeks among us will want to watch till the very end of the nine-minute clip for an up-close look at the specific components McLaren has developed for the Longtail model.) So settle down, turn up the volume, and click Play to see what Harris has to say about Woking's latest. Related Video:

McLaren working on a roofless speedster for the Ultimate Series

A "source aware of the car" told Autocar that McLaren is working on a new entry in the Ultimate Series range, an open-topped speedster that will "focus on exhilarating on-road driving." The British carmaker hasn't finished building its already-spoken-for quota of Senna GTR models, and after that, Speedtail production is slated to begin toward the end of this year. That pushes whatever this new car might be out to late 2020 or early 2021 at least, and that's not accounting for development time.The comparison being made is that this will be the English version of Ferrari's F8-Superfast-based Monza SP1 and SP2 speedsters, with styling reminiscent of open-cockpit prototype race cars. When The Drive asked McLaren about the rumor, the carmaker replied that it is "speaking to potential customers about a new McLaren Ultimate Series model that shares some attributes with the car that Autocar describes." Unlike the track-centric Senna or the aero-focused Speedtail, the new roofless car is said to "highlight the more emotional, fun side of McLaren." That's a bit like looking for the emotional, fun side of an electromagnetic railgun - and I mean that as a compliment to McLaren - but there's plenty of feeling to draw from in the carmaker's past. Autocar's source said to expect lines with more elegance and fluidity outside and in, capped by a set of the brand's trademark dihedral doors. If designers can make Can-Am curves from the McLaren M1B, M6A, or M8B jive seamlessly with modern carbon and combustion internals, we're ready for it. There's no reason to let Ferrari - and De Tomaso and Ecurie Ecosse - bogart the retro fun. Predictions point to the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 providing the power, in this application without hybrid assistance. Slinky lines and no roof could mean a car that weighs less than the 2,641-pound Senna, and since "extremely agile handling" and driver feedback are the priorities, power could be toned down from the 789-horsepower track car. Autocar mentions a sticker price of something around 1.5 million pounds, roughly $1.9 million in our money. If that's accurate, paying twice the price of a Senna could pay for exclusivity, with build numbers expected to be fewer than the Senna's 500 examples. When it arrives, it will be another milestone in McLaren's Track25 business plan that targets 18 new models and derivatives in the next six years.

Nissan GT-R, Armada and the new Kia Sorento | Autoblog Podcast #658

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and Road Test Editor Zac Palmer for the final episode of 2020. They've been driving some interesting cars, including the Nissan GT-R, the new Nissan Armada, a Mercedes-Benz GLA and a pair of new-gen Kia Sorentos. They talk a bit about an interesting new EV called the Ace from Alpha Motor Corporation. Finally, the trio takes turns talking about their favorite cars they drove this year. Enjoy, and we'll be back with more episodes in 2021. Autoblog Podcast #658 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown What we're driving:2021 Nissan GT-R 2021 Nissan Armada 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA 2021 Kia Sorento Alpha Motor Corporation unveils Ace electric coupe Our favorite cars of the year: Zac: Lotus Evora GT John: Polestar 2 Greg: McLaren GT Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Green Podcasts Kia Lotus McLaren Mercedes-Benz Nissan Coupe Crossover SUV Electric Luxury Performance Sedan Polestar