After making some jaws drop at the Geneva Motor Show with the track-only P1 GTR and the track-focused 675LT, the Woking-based outfit is almost ready to roll out the McLaren Sports Series we’ve been looking forward to.
Expected to adopt an official nomenclature in the same vein the 650S got its name (baptized after the 650 PS the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 produces), the McLaren Sports Series will differentiate itself from the 650S, 675LT, P1 and P1 GTR as well.
The signs were always there, especially after our carparazzi snapped prototypes of the upcoming entry-level Macca testing in Spain and in colder climates. But with this official teaser video from McLaren Automotive, we learned a number of new things. For starters, the tail lights of the all-new McLaren Sports Series resemble the thin LED strips of the McLaren P1.
A ginormous rear aerodynamic diffuser, a duo of exhaust pipes shaped to resemble triangles and an engine cover that incorporates a honeycomb-shaped plastic mesh are other important details that embellish the rear fascia of the model. On the sides we can see extremely aggressive air intakes, which suck in air to feed all 8 cylinders of a detuned version of the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine internally known as the M838T.
As for the front fascia, we can see a differently styled pair of headlights compared to what the British manufactures currently offers for the P1 and 650S
Additionally, there's a front bumper that likely received deformable Ferrari 458 Italia-inspired rubber winglets that deform as speed increases to reduce drag. Slated to debut at the New York Auto Show on April 2nd, the Sports Series has a few other go-faster highlights worth mentioning.
Seven-speed dual-clutch paddleshift tranny, a super-stiff carbon fiber monocoque, a 500-plus horsepower output, 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in a little under 4 seconds, a top speed of over 180 mph (290 km/h) and four variations are the only details known at the time of writing.
Regarding those four variations, expect a Sports Series Coupe, an open-top Spider, a track-focused GTR derivative and a grand tourer version. Some say that a fifth model will also come to fruition in the near future in the guise of a GT3-spec racecar.
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. Full profile
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