2012 Mclaren Mp4-12c on 2040-cars

Auto blog

What livery would you choose for your McLaren P1 GTR?

What sort of livery would you choose for your McLaren P1 GTR? Given that McLaren will only build 35 of them, each priced at nearly $3 million and almost all of them already built by now, it's a choice few of us will ever have to make. But to give us an idea of the answers arrived at by those who have, the British constructor has provided a rare glimpse inside the McLaren P1 GTR Workshop. Located at the company's headquarters in Woking, next to the McLaren GT racing department and the McLaren Special Operations studio, the workshop is charged with looking after those examples of the P1 GTR that their owners have opted to leave in the factory's care. McLaren will bring the cars to specially organized track days and tend to them in between by a crack team of hand-selected technicians and engineers. McLaren's chief designer helps each customer choose how they want their GTR spec'd out. Pictured above are twelve of those examples. There's one in the throwback yellow and green Harrods livery in which the model was launched, one with a similar treatment in deep blue with a yellow stripe, another reminiscent of the F1 GTR's iconic FINA livery, one in a light blue camo made up of racing circuit layouts, a couple in varying shades of McLaren's signature orange, and a handful inspired by the outfit's more recent grand prix racing liveries – including one that looks just like the concept from Monterey. Of course, each P1 GTR is mechanically identical, with their 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 hybrid powertrains tuned to deliver 986 horsepower, unburdened by excess weight, and with aggressive aero. The first seven took part in the first track session at Catalunya in Spain this past October, and they will forever wear a special badge to boast as such. But there'll be more to come this year, including one at Silverstone, another at Spa, a trip to Abu Dhabi, and another to Austin right here in America. Aside from shipping the cars themselves, the staff at the workshop put together 80 metric tons of support equipment for each session. Related Video:

What next for Jenson Button?

With the departure of Mark Webber from the Formula One grid, Jenson Button now ranks as one of the oldest drivers in the series. Turning 34 this month, he's mere months younger than Kimi Raikkonen, but has spent more seasons racing in F1 than the elder Finn. As such, Button is nearing the end of his viable time in the sport – but just when will he retire, and what will he do next? With a season-by-season contract, Button's future is anything but certain. McLaren could opt to re-sign him at the end of the 2014 season or not. Having driven for Honda for several seasons, the Japanese manufacturer that's set to power McLaren from 2015 onwards is said to favor keeping Button on board, but nothing's certain at this point. If and when McLaren shows him the door, Button's likely to try and find a seat with another team – championship contender or otherwise. But Autosport reports that Jenson isn't likely to follow his longtime rival Webber to Le Mans. Even behind the wheel of a front-running LMP1, the prospect of racing on a track with slower vehicles doesn't entice the 2009 World Champion to switch disciplines. Button is keen to keep racing for as long as he can. The only questions are how many good F1 seasons he has left in him – he dropped form second in the 2011 standings to fifth in 2012 and ninth in 2013 – and where he would go after that. News Source: AutosportImage Credit: McLaren Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Motorsports McLaren F1

McLaren debuting lighter, more powerful 675LT in Geneva

McLaren has quite an event in store for the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. The British sports car maker already confirmed the debut of the production-intent version of the P1 GTR track-only supercar, and now the brand has added the 675LT to that list of unveilings with a brief teaser video. Two of the biggest details about the latest McLaren come right in its name. The 675 is a reference to its power in PS, which equals 666 horsepower in our system. That's a healthy 25-hp boost over the standard 650S. The LT suffix stands for longtail, and is an allusion to the famous F1 GTR Longtail with its much more aggressive bodywork later in the F1's racing career. McLaren already teased the more potent version's look (pictured below), but it's not easy to spot all the performance add-ons. Still, the brand is promising the 675LT to be the "the lightest, the quickest, and the purest version in the range." The coupe-only model benefits from tweaked aerodynamics for increased downforce, a lower weight and claims on enhanced driver engagement. Deliveries begin later this year. At the same time, McLaren is tweaking its naming scheme, yet again. The brand now refers to the 650S, 675LT, Asia-only 625C and their variants as the Super Sport Series. The moniker differentiates this family from the company's upcoming smaller models that are called simply the Sport Series. A SECOND GENEVA DEBUT AND A NEW NAME: THE McLAREN 675LT 28/01/15 LT model designation – standing for 'Longtail' – to join exisitng C and S range hierarchy LT to be the lightest, the quickest, and the purest version in the range Introduced by the 675LT which joins 650S and Asia-only 625C in the newly named McLaren Super Series Global premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2015 alongside the production-intent McLaren P1™ GTR Modern day interpretation of the McLaren F1 GTR 'Longtail'– the evolution of a true world-beater McLaren will look to its heritage when it revives the legendary 'Longtail' name given to one of the purest GT sportscars of all time, the McLaren F1 GTR 'Longtail', for the launch of the new McLaren 675LT at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. This road legal supercar will embody the 'Longtail' ethos with a focus on performance optimised aerodynamics, increased downforce, driver engagement, power and reduced weight.