2014 Mclaren Mp4-12c Spider on 2040-cars

Auto blog

McLaren promotes new chief designer

Though the racing team has been around for decades, McLaren Automotive as a modern carmaker is one of the youngest around, and continues to fine-tune its senior personnel. In the latest announcement, the Woking, UK-based outfit has named Robert Melville to the role of Chief Designer. At just 37 years old, Melville has been with McLaren as a senior designer since 2009, lending his pen to the lines of the P1, 650S and the upcoming entry-level Sports Series that's confirmed to debut "in the second quarter of 2015," with an anticipated reveal expected at the New York Auto Show in April. Though the title of Chief Designer would seem to suggest that Melville will be the top authority in McLaren's design department, he'll still be reporting to Frank Stephenson, whose role as Design Director remains unchanged. News Source: McLaren Design/Style Hirings/Firings/Layoffs McLaren mclaren automotive chief designer

Drive a McLaren | The List #650

Race cars are meant for the track, not the road. As you might expect, you can't just buy a Formula One car and drive it around town. But what if one of the most decorated brands in F1 took all of that past experience and intelligence and put it toward making a street car? Well lucky for us, we don't have to ask "what if," because McLaren does that on a daily basis. On this episode of The List, our hosts Jessi and Patrick get to learn about the founder of the brand, Bruce McLaren, and the legacy he's left behind. Bruce started racing and building cars when he was only 15 years old, so it's not surprising that he went on to create one of the most iconic automotive companies of all time. According to Patrick, driving a McLaren, "makes you feel like a racecar driver" which was no doubt the intent of Bruce all those years ago. After discussing the fascinating history of the brand, our hosts hit the streets in a McLaren 650S. "We've been in some fun cars and this car is going to blow your mind," Patrick said as he navigated a winding English road. Get ready to experience the race-bred performance of McLaren on this episode of The List. Click here to find more episodes of The List Click here to learn more about our hosts, Jessi and Patrick McLaren Coupe Performance Supercars The List Videos Original Video mclaren p1 mclaren 650s spider bruce mclaren mclaren technology centre

McLaren to enter Extreme E electric SUV series in 2022

LONDON — McLaren will add an Extreme E team to their Formula 1 and Indycar operations next year in a major boost for the newly launched electric off-road series (another team's car is pictured above). McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown told reporters he expected the involvement to be "commercially positive" from the start. McLaren would mostly use existing personnel for the team, but not from Formula 1. "What we will never do is distract or detract from our Formula 1 efforts," added Brown. "Indycar, Extreme E are there to be complementary and accelerate our Formula 1 efforts." McLaren will be the 10th team signed up to the five-race series launched by Spaniard Alejandro Agag, who also founded the city-based Formula E championship, with two more slots still available. Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, and 2009 and 2016 world champions Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg, also have Extreme E teams. "The McLaren news is a major, major boost for Extreme E," Agag told reporters in a video call. "We know that there are many manufacturers looking at Extreme E. The news of McLaren entering is for sure going to help other manufacturers look at Extreme E with interest. Today is the biggest news in our short history." The team will be entered by McLaren Racing, rather than the automotive side whose current model range focuses heavily on petrol-engined supercars. Other manufacturers involved in Extreme E - Seat's Cupra brand, Hummer and Lotus - have an electric model or product range to promote but McLaren have in the past ruled out making an electric SUV. "I wouldn't want to speak on their behalf," Brown said when asked whether that approach might change. "This is a McLaren Racing effort solely. "Of course electrification is very important to the automotive group ... (but) it's not an indication one way or the other as to Automotive's position on SUVs." Brown said a possible involvement in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and Formula E remained under review until later in the year. Extreme E aims to raise awareness about climate change and promote sustainability by racing electric SUVs in remote and harsh environments, with a former mail ship used to transport cars between locations. Brown already has an involvement through his United Autosports, which co-owns a team with Andretti Autosports, but the American said he was a "silent partner" in that. He said McLaren's move would give the Bahraini-owned company a broader offering for sponsors.