Shortly after news broke that McLaren Automotive is building a replacement for its P1 hypercar, the company has confirmed that a new addition to the Ultimate Series will be revealed in the first quarter of 2018. Like all limited-edition McLarens, all examples are spoken for ahead of its global debut.
The British carmaker claims the new car will be the most extreme, track-oriented road car to ever roll off their production line. Yes, it will be road legal unlike the P1 GTR that came before it. Certain degree of daily drivability has been sacrificed for the “most intensive driver experience around a circuit”.
McLaren describes the design as brutal and will be the most extreme representation of the company’s philosophy of “form follows function”. All these statements are consistent with AutoCar UK’s report on the P15; supposedly McLaren’s next hypercar. If the report holds true, we may be looking at a sub 1,300 kg hypercar with 789 hp, courtesy of an uprated M838T 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8.
The P15 is rumoured to be petrol powered only unlike the P1’s cutting-edge hybrid powertrain – all in the name of weight savings. On the topic of “form follows function”, McLaren is not invested in creating an aesthetically pleasing machine but one that will outperform anyone and everyone on track. Are they going as far as installing a fixed rear wing like the sketches? Only time will tell.
McLaren has however unveiled a single teaser image of the exhaust and it appears to be a triple outlet unit arranged in a triangular pattern, much like the Lamborghini Aventador S and Lexus LFA. We sure hope the new Mac will sound as good if not better than the latter two. If you want to get your hands on one of these bad boys, you will have to start searching through the classifieds section.
