autoevolution
 

2019 McLaren Senna Takes On Kyalami Circuit During Hot-Weather Testing

In the hands of senior test driver Gareth Howell, the McLaren Senna is one of the most serious track tools out there. It also happens to be entitled to wear license plates, as opposed to the Senna GTR. Based on the 720S and hand-assembled in England at the automaker’s production center in Woking, the Senna will spawn 500 copies, each costing £750,000 from the get-go.
2019 McLaren Senna 34 photos
Photo: screenshot from YouTube
2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)2019 McLaren Senna (P15)
The third model introduced under the Track22 plan isn’t ready for production just yet, with McLaren testing the lightweight supercar at the Kyalami circuit to see how it handles the extreme temperatures of South Africa. Even more impressive is the way the Senna carves corners, partly thanks to the extreme aerodynamic solutions.

Downforce is the reason the Senna looks as if it came into this world as the love child of the 720S and robot from Mobile Suit Gundam. Take the rear wing as an example. The hydraulic, double-element, carbon-fiber wing tips the scales at 4.87 kilograms (10.7 pounds), yet supports more than 100 times its weight in downforce.

On full song, the 1,198-kg Senna generates 800 kilograms (1,764 pounds) of downforce, which is a lot considering that the Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo R tires feature an exclusive compound. There’s active aerodynamic trickery at the front end of the Senna as well, with flaps designed to decrease frontal downforce during cornering.

And on corner exit, the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 is much obliged to thrust the car forward with 800 PS (789 horsepower) and 800 (590 pound-feet) of torque. Even though there’s no hybrid assistance to speak of, the Senna can speed up to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.8 seconds. The quarter-mile, on the other hand, takes 9.9 seconds.

An aspect the Senna can’t brag about is top speed, rated by McLaren at 340 km/h (211 miles per hour). Fret not, however, for the BP23 Hyper-GT will be presented by the end of the year with more velocity under its belt than any other road-going McLaren. More to the point, top speed will exceed 391 km/h (243 miles per hour).

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
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.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories