McLaren introduced its first hybrid supercar, the Artura, in the first quarter of 2021. Deliveries to the first customers are only now starting, but one Artura has already been crashed – and it’s just as painful a sight as you can imagine.
For the record, all accidents are terrible. Even when no one is injured, as was the case here, they’re still terrible. This one, though, is making headlines because it is the first documented crash of the just-introduced Artura. Chances are this wasn’t even a production car that had been delivered to the owner, which adds another layer of “oh heck no” to the whole situation.
Video of the aftermath of the accident has popped up on the popular SupercarFails channel: apparently, it happened on a winding road in Spain, with the first indication being that the Artura driver lost control coming out of a turn and went into oncoming traffic, where it collided head-on with a BMW 3 Series sedan. The damage is considerable, but the video is too short to show the full extent of it. As per the report, no one was injured, because both vehicles were traveling at slow speeds.
As it turns out, the crash actually occurred a couple of weeks ago, in La Rioja. Details are not available, which is strange and might have something to do with the fact that this was presumably a McLaren press car. It’s wearing UK plate numbers with “WTC” on them, which is apparently used on McLaren press cars, along with “MCL.” Based on the blue paintjob, it could be that this is the same vehicle that raced at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed and that it was now being taken out on a test drive by a potential client. And the potential client crashed it.
To paraphrase some car enthusiasts, most are yet to see an Artura in person and someone had already crashed one, and it’s a real shame.
The Artura packs 671 hp and 531 lb-ft (720 Nm) of torque combined from the turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 and an electric motor, and sprints from 0 to 60 mph (96.5 kph) in just 3 seconds, maxing out at 205 mph (330 kph). The base version starts at $225,000 for the U.S. and £185,500 for the UK. It is a powerful and expensive car, and whoever was driving this one got to find this out the hard way.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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