2014 Mp4-12c Spider 50th Anniversary Special Edition on 2040-cars

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McLaren's baby P13 coming next year with multiple bodystyles, $160K sticker price

Though you could hardly call it "cheap" by most standards, when McLaren Automotive booted up with the launch of the MP4-12C three years ago, it was, relatively speaking, the most affordable McLaren yet. Cheaper than the original McLaren F1, cheaper than the SLR it made for Mercedes-Benz, and certainly cheaper than any of the racing machinery for which the firm is known. From there, however, things only got more expensive. The 12C Spider arrived with a higher list price than the coupe, the P1 that much more so, and the 650S slots in between the two. As we reported last week, there's a new flagship codenamed P15 in the works that will be less expensive than the P1, but still significantly more than the 12C or 650S. So when will McLaren offer something a little bit more obtainable? That's the next project in the pipeline. Following the internal nomenclature that dubbed the 12C as P11, the 650S as P11M, P1 as P12 and the aforementioned upcoming flagship as P15, the forthcoming "baby McLaren" is known around Woking as the P13. (Which only makes us wonder what the P14 might be, but that's a question for another time.) What we'll be looking at with the P13 (whatever it will be called once it reaches production) is a two-door supercar based on the same carbon Monocell that underpins the rest of the McLaren lineup but will not, contrary to what Car and Driver predicts, be substantially smaller than the 12C. What it will be is cheaper – at least, relatively speaking, that is. In correspondence with Autoblog, McLaren communications chief Wayne Bruce confirms that the P13 will carry a sticker price starting "from around two thirds of what a 12C would cost you today." That would place it around $160,000 (less than what C/D forecasts) and square between the latest Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S or the V10 and V10 Plus versions of the Audi R8. "Guessing that its styling might be influenced by P1's, or indeed a 650S," we're told, "is as obvious as saying it'll have two seats." McLaren also confirms that it "will be offered in more than one bodystyle," which we'd take to mean coupe and convertible versions as are offered on the 12C and 650S, but leaves the door open to all sorts of additional possibilities in the future. We're told not to expect the P13 to debut this year, but given McLaren's cadence of revealing one new model per annum, we'd look forward to seeing it sometime in 2015.

McLaren reinstates Ron Dennis as CEO

With new versions of the 12C coming out all the time, the new P1 still wowing crowds and additional projects underway, sports car fanatics might surmise that McLaren is doing pretty well for itself these days. But Formula One fans would likely disagree. After losing its longtime prodigy Lewis Hamilton to its longtime partner, Mercedes, McLaren failed to land on the podium (let alone win an actual grand prix) even once last season. In fact, the last time McLaren – one of the most historically successful teams on the grid – won the F1 World Championship was back in 2008, when Ron Dennis was still calling the shots. Little wonder, then, that the board of the McLaren Group has seen it fit to reinstate Dennis as chief executive officer. Ron Dennis is the man rightfully and widely credited with turning McLaren into the powerhouse it is today. He came to the team in 1980 at the end of a three-year dry spell in which it had not won a single grand prix. The following season, it was already winning races again, and by 1984, it was winning World Championships again: seven Constructors' Championships and ten Drivers' Championships with pilots like Lauda, Prost, Senna, Hakkinen and Hamilton. All in all, the team was never as successful as it was under the leadership of Ron Dennis, but in 2009, he stepped aside as team principal to focus on expanding the group's business, leaving Martin Whitmarsh to assume the title of CEO. But while the carmaking division has grown under Dennis' watchful eye, the F1 team has floundered under Whitmarsh's direction. So the board has reinstated Dennis as CEO of the entire group. This isn't the first time McLaren has faced difficulties with (and had to replace) one of Dennis' lieutenants. Last year, McLaren Automotive's managing director Antony Sheriff was placed on extended leave, his duties ultimately effectively reassigned to Mike Flewitt, who was promoted from chief operating officer to chief executive officer of the carmaking unit this past summer. Just what that this new appointment will mean for Whitmarsh in his role as F1 team principal remains to be seen, but Dennis says he is gearing up "to write an exciting new chapter in the story of McLaren, beginning by improving our on-track and off-track performance." He'll have a new strategy outlined for the group next month, but in the meantime, you can read the official announcement below.

McLaren P1 GTR production model debuting in Geneva

The GTR nomenclature has always held a special meaning to the folks at McLaren. The F1 GTR was a racing champion in its day, and the coupe's overall victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans went a long way towards cementing that supercar as a world icon. Now, McLaren is bringing the trio of letters back for the track-only P1 GTR, and the company's latest teaser video reveals this even quicker supercar's production debut is at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show in March. We last saw the P1 GTR as a concept during the Monterey Car Week (pictured below). In that form, it boasted the standard version's 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 but turned the wick up to 986 horsepower, an 83-hp improvement. It also sported a wider front track, lower ride height and mirrors moved to the A-pillars. This latest version appears to further refine the shape of the body, and the gaping front almost looks like it has fangs. As a track-only model, the GTR is somewhat similar to Ferrari's XX programs. McLaren is promising a full support package to drivers, including time behind the wheel in the company's racing simulator. Actual production for these behemoths isn't set to begin until later in 2015, but watch this teaser for a taste of what's to come in Switzerland. Related Gallery McLaren P1 GTR: Monterey 2014 View 29 Photos News Source: McLaren Automotive via YouTubeImage Credit: Related images copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Geneva Motor Show McLaren Coupe Performance Supercars Videos mclaren p1 teaser video mclaren p1 gtr