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2019 McLaren BP23 Hyper-GT To Get a Name Like the Senna, CEO Hints

Back in 2011 when McLaren returned to building road cars, the carmaker had to deal with the inevitable aspects associated with such a matter. First of all, the company didn't just bring its Formula One expertise into the game - the F1-style nomenclature also made it to the showroom.
McLaren Senna 1 photo
Photo: McLaren
Well, the strategy mentioned above is how we ended up with a codec-named machine such as the MP4-12C. Woking realized it needed to address this and decided to cut the nameplate to 12C. From that point on, the British Automotive Producer's velocity monsters continued down the alphanumeric path.

The recent Senna, which is the most fierce machine since the said return, came to change that. And it seems that transformation is here to stay.

McLarens CEO recently told autocar that he'd be fond of using such names for the company's Ultimate Series cars (think: P1). Mike Flewitt also explained that the Sports (570S) and Super Series (720S) models would continue to mix letters and numbers for their badges.

Among others, we're expecting this to mean that the upcoming BP23 hyper-GT, a three-seater paying homage to the McLaren F1, to come with a name like the Senna - the machine should land next year.

It's worth noting that the nameplates aren't the only thing McLaren has refined over the past years. And we're talking about the drifting ability of the Woking missiles.

All modern Maccas come with an open diff, relying on uber-advanced electronic control for the brakes in order to get things right through the twisties. However, the early MP4-12C came with an awkward relationship between the said nannies and the driver, with the electronics interfering whenever the one behind the wheel aimed to slide, regardless of the setup.

And while things have improved over the years, we had to wait until 2017 to see the carmaker introducing a sideways-dedicated feature for the 720S. Dubbed Variable Drift Control, this electronic goodie allows the driver to let the tail out, with the aficionado handling the vehicle being able to use a slider to let the vehicle know how far the dance should go.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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