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2018 McLaren 720S (P14) Rumored to Pack 4.0-liter Twin-Turbo V8

As you might have heard by know, the McLaren Super Series is about to get an all-new model. And when I say all-new, I’m referring from the ground up. Internally referred to as the P14, the upcoming supercar will act as the replacement for the 650S.
2018 McLaren 720S (P14) 15 photos
Photo: screenshot from YouTube
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According to Frans Bulterman of Autogespot, its actual name will come in the form of 2018 McLaren 720S, with 720 referring to the metric horsepower. For the British and North American public, that’s 710 brake horsepower. I’m told that’s a lot, but then again, the M838T V8 engine is immensely capable.

In the P1 hypercar, for example, the twin-turbo unit develops 737 PS (727 horsepower) at 7,200 rpm. But as it happens, Autogespot’s man suggests that McLaren won’t shoehorn the 3.8-liter twin-turbo mill in the purported 720S. According to the cited, the 3.8-liter will make way for “a new bi-turbo 4.0-liter V8.” I don’t know what to say about this development, frankly.

However, I’ll try to point out something. Why did the cited publication use a spy photo of the all-new Macca with the watermark of another motoring website? I think I’ve made my point. Call me a skeptic, but I’m not too sure that McLaren is ready to one-up the Super Series with a bigger engine.

The publication also suggests that “the dashboard will physically lower when the car goes into track mode.” That’s one way to put the driver in the zone, I say. But anyway, how’s this for more relevant information on McLaren’s all-new unicorn: customer previews are due in January 2017, apparently.

After the British manufacturer takes the wraps off, it’s believed that later variants of the P14 will gain some sort of hybridization. A sure bet would be KERS, a.k.a. kinetic energy recovery system. On that note, the McLaren P14 is sure to spawn a convertible variant and track-focused LT derivates.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

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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