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McLaren divulges Ultimate Series Speedtail hypercar will make more than 986 hp

With as much as we know about the McLaren Speedtail, we're still missing the finest, most important details. Now that hypercars are no longer unicorns but regularly released products, upper three- and four-digit horsepower figures need to be placed in the context of the segment and technical aspects to make the most impact. However, the latest morsel of news on the Speedtail is another step in the right direction. McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt told TopGear magazine at an owner's club gathering that the next Ultimate Series champion would produce "more than 1,000 PS," meaning at least 986 horsepower. Flewitt would only say about the rest of the engine that it will employ a recognizable architecture and "a slightly different hybrid application" than in the P1. We'll take that as euphemism for the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that features throughout the Sports and Super Series ranges, making 426 hp in the 570S GT4 and 710 hp in the 720S. The P1 used a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 making 727 hp, helped by an electric motor adding another 176 hp, for 903 in total. We're not sure how much any owner will feel the 83 hp difference between his P1 and his Speedtail, but Flewitt said the company's focused "on attributes rather than engines." What an owner will register is the Speedtail being much faster than the P1; the latter was limited to 217 miles per hour, the English automaker has already pledged the Speedtail will be the fastest-ever McLaren, which means eclipsing the 243 mph that the F1 achieved. It's likely that the 106 Speedtail owners will also note the three-seat coupe is more comfortable than both than its spiritual inspiration the F1, and the P1. Flewitt said his team's developed a hypercar that's "super comfortable, super to drive," and a "better driving proposition" than some of the multi-million-dollar competition going for top speed records. Speaking of top speed records, the McLaren Speedtail won't be going for any. The horsepower wars might not be over, but when an Aston Martin road car makes 1,130 hp, the battle's effectively been won by everyone who can take the field. Upstarts are turning their armaments on the physical walls of top speed, and Flewitt wants none of it.

2018 McLaren 720S Drivers' Notes | Menacing middle child

It's been seven years since McLaren launched the MP4-12C (later simplified to just 12C), the vehicle that kicked off the British brand's three-tiered assault on the supercar market. The Sports Series is currently made up of the 540, 570, and 600 lineups. The 720S is the only member of the Super Series, one rung higher up the ladder from Sport and one below the Ultimate level of the McLaren Senna. The McLaren 720S is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine that spins out 710 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. That's sufficient to push the sinewy supercar from 0-60 in 2.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 212 miles per hour. We tested two different 720S models. The silver car pictured here boasts a number of options, including a Luxury package that adds exterior trim in Dark Palladium, engine bay ambient lighting, and premium leather for the heated and power-operated seats. Our test car was also fitted with a front splitter, air intakes, and door mirrors in carbon fiber, and a sports exhaust system. Total price came to $342,135. Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski: The McLaren 720S is one of the most impressive vehicles available to buy today. It looks incredible, with swoopy good looks that capitalize on air intakes that cut deep into the car's bodywork to create negative space and add drama to the supercar's design. And it drives even better. My test car was a shade of silver that I don't really think does the car any favors, and doesn't stand out like the purple-hued 720S my colleagues in Michigan drove. Still, as I shrieked down highways and byways in and around Seattle, the McLaren had no problem attracting admiring stares and inciting impromptu rolling drag race offers. These, naturally, I declined. I already knew I had the fastest car on the block. The 720S is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine that feels like a major advancement from the company's older 3.8-liter unit. It revs like an F1 car, plowing through first and second gears so fast that its driver is squarely into suspended-license speeds in the blink of an eye. But despite its headline-grabbing spec sheet, the 720S can actually be quite docile out on the road. Comfort mode softens the 720S nicely for bumpy, potholed roads. Sport mode stiffens everything up perfectly, and Track mode loosens up the electronic nannies so far that I wouldn't use it on the street. It is Track mode, after all.

Formula One speeds towards radical thousand-horsepower shakeup

The teams, the drivers, the fans, the circuits... few, if any, were satisfied with how Formula One has shaped up since the current regulations took hold last year. But that doesn't mean they aren't working on it. At a recent meeting of the F1 Strategy Group, the leading parties in the sport outlined a new framework that would radically shake up the cars themselves while keeping costs in check. And the biggest change could see the engines producing around 1,000 horsepower. Although a proposal put forth by Ferrari to ditch the current V6 hybrid engines in favor of new twin-turbocharged units was rejected by Honda and Mercedes, the members of the group approved in principal to increase the fuel flow in the existing engines to dramatically boost output. As it stands, the current 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engines develop around 600 horsepower, with an additional 160 or so kicked in by the electric Energy Recovery System, for a combined output of about 760 hp. What's not clear at the moment is whether the increased fuel flow would necessitate either the return of mid-race refueling (currently banned) or the installation of larger fuel tanks. Red Bull and McLaren also submitted proposals to radically redesign the shape of the cars as well, however a more evolutionary approach was adopted instead. Though far from finalized, the new design would keep the same basic form of the current chassis, but with adjustments to make them more aesthetically pleasing while producing more downforce. Wider tires are also said to be part of the mix. With more power and more grip from the tires and aero, the resulting cars would most certainly end up going much faster than the current ones, which are already starting to nudge the lap records at some of the circuits, many of which were set during the V10 era. The F1 Strategy Group is made up of representatives of the FIA, Formula One Management and six leading teams. The next step will be for the teams' technical directors to iron out how to implement what their bosses have agreed to. If they settle the details fast enough, the revised regulations could be pushed through in time for next season. News Source: AutosportImage Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Motorsports Ferrari Honda Infiniti McLaren Mercedes-Benz F1