Showing posts with label Mclaren. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mclaren. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

The tantalising tech of the McLaren P1

LIFE ON CARS doesn't really do press releases normally but one with the McLaren Automotive logo on it can't help but brighten up your Wednesday morning.

Yes, it's some technical details of the company's new P1 supercar - spiritual successor to the legendary F1, don'tcha know - for you to gawp at. Thanks to its starring turn at the Paris Motor Show last October we all know what it looks like but it's only now Euromillions winners, city bankers and Chris Evans have got a chance to find out what sort of hardware it's got to back up that striking shape.

Hardware that includes a "substantially revised" version of the MP4-12C's twin-turbo, 3.8 litre V8, meaning it now kicks out no less than 727bhp, which is almost exactly 100bhp more than the McLaren F1 had at its disposal. Not that it stops there, however, because like the rival Porsche 918 Spyder it also uses batteries to make it even more of a belter, with the electric equivalent of 176bhp on offer through a Formula One-style boost system for when a P1's pilot really wants to press on. All of which means you have a combined total of 903bhp. Count 'em.

Admittedly, that's not as much as the world's fastest production car, the Bugatti Veyron Supersport, but then the McLaren's much lighter and is aiming to be the ultimate driving experience rather than simply the one which can notch up the biggest numbers. Oh, and as you can see from the pic of the prototype above its exhaust spits blue flames at you when you open the throttle, which is very cool.

All I can do is keep my fingers crossed for my numbers coming up this Friday night!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

McLaren unveils new successor to F1 supercar

 

IF YOU liked the McLaren MP4-12C then you'll love the stunning new supercar its creators have come up with.

The McLaren P1 - which luckily has a slightly less confusing name than its smaller sister - is being billed as the spiritual successor to the company's F1 supercar of the 1990s, which held the honour of being the world's fastest production car for more than a decade thanks to its 627bhp BMW Motorsport V12 and its slippery, Peter Stevens-shaped body.

Ron Dennis, exectutive chairman of McLaren Automotive, said: "The McLaren P1 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage.

"Twenty years ago we raised the supercar performance bar with the McLaren F1 and our goal with the McLaren P1 is to redefine it once again."


There's no official word on the car's performance - the old F1 could shoot to sixty in 3.2 seconds, before heading onto a top speed of 241mph - but expect it to be significantly quicker than the smaller MP4-12C, which can already hit 207mph thanks to its 592bhp twin-turbocharged V8 engine.

At the moment the P1 is being presented as a "design study" but the company has already said it expects a production version to be unveiled within the next 12 months.

Monday, January 16, 2012

What is hiding in McLaren's sheds? Automobile Magazine's Ben Oliver found out in issue Feb 2012, page 14 and 15


great reason to get Automobile Magazine. The other reasons are Ezra Dyer's articles, Jamie Kitman's, and Robert Cumberford... and always read Jean Jennings "Vile Gossip" on the last page