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McLaren Sports Series / P13 Spied, Rear Fascia Design is Bewitching

As I’m sure any petrolhead and motorsport enthusiast knows, Ferrari and McLaren are the most successful Formula 1 teams ever. Except for the M6 GT faux pas, McLaren’s first ever road-going vehicle was the 1992 F1 hypercar. Compared to that feat, Ferrari started selling road-legal cars in the late 1940s.
McLaren Sports Series / P13 prototype 13 photos
Photo: SB-Medien
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Maybe that’s why, when you’re looking at the MP4-12C or 650S, one doesn’t think “Mmm, that’s better than a Ferrari.” The Rosso Corsa hue beautifying Ferraris signals that it doesn’t get any better than this because that’s how we’ve been accustomed since like forever. Don't blame your dad, though.

This Ferrari > anything else thingy is basically a matter of perception and, in all frankness, it’s exceptionally hard for any other supercar brand to rival the Prancing Horse in terms of appeal. Despite this uphill battle against the best name in the biz, McLaren Automotive plans to chip a little more from the Italian manufacturer’s yearly sales.

To do that, Ron Dennis’ company is working on an entry-level series of models dubbed Sports Series
Also known as the P13, some McLaren enthusiasts claim a P14 and P15 will follow. It’s best to take this information with a grain of salt, but it’s a given the three-model McLaren Sports Series will boast with a coupe, a convertible and even a four-door or a four-seater variant to suit most preferences.

Already teased a couple of times by McLaren, the Sports Series / P13 is now back, this time in a spy photo gallery. Our carparazzi spotted this prototype cruising on European roads next to an MP4-12C. The masked front fascia sort of reminds of the defunct MP4-12C, but the rest appears to be all-new. Those side air intake vents, aggressive side scallops and low belt line are what supercar dreams are made of.

But the cream of the visual crop is the rear. Even though the plethora of chicken wire reminds us of the P1 hybrid hypercar’s behind, the in-your-face Venturi tunnels of the aerodynamic diffuser joined by the soft-edged triangular exhaust exists are just what the doctor ordered.

Although it will adopt a detuned 3.8 twin-turbo V8 and cost a lot less than the 650S, the McLaren Sport Series / P13 design team really deserves a fat Christmas bonus for what they’ve penned here. Good job!
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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