Arguably one of the best supercars money can buy, the McLaren Senna is a true track-ready machine that manages to remain road legal. It broke the lap records for production cars at different circuits all over the world, and some of those who have driven it state that it is the best exotic in the world.
Now, it all sounds good on paper, but there is a huge downside to owning a McLaren Senna, and that is the design. Every time you open the garage door, you will see it, lurking in the shadows, looking like it was drawn by a 10-year old who still struggles to hold the pen.
Then, you will probably remember about its rivals from Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche, to name but some, and you might regret the decision of buying what is, in essence, an ugly supercar, instead of something that turns heads for all the right reasons.
Sure, you can always claim that the Senna looks the way it does because it was literally shaped by the wind, and that it’s the clever aerodynamics that work in concert with the brilliant chassis setup, and V8 lump mounted behind the seats that turn it into a track animal. However, that won’t make it prettier. Also, the controversial styling does not do justice to the name, because, in case you forgot, it pays tribute to the late Ayrton Senna.
It’s obvious that I’m definitely not a fan of the McLaren Senna, and it’s hard to admit that since I haven’t driven it. I definitely do not like it better as a Shooting Brake either. The rendering came from carnewsnetwork on Instagram, and portrays it with a long roof, bigger and more upright rear windscreen, and no huge wing at the back, so it would definitely handle worse than the real supercar at high speeds.
Photo: McLaren
The pixel rearranging process did not stop here, because in a side-by-side comparison, we can see that the Senna Shooting Brake sports additional yellow accents on the fins of the diffuser, and around the rear windscreen. An ‘S’ logo, in the same lively color, decorates the rear quarter panels, right above the wheels, and this is where the mouse clicks ended, after hitting the ‘save’ button, of course.
Now, it’s not only uglier than the real Senna, but the bread van digital concept is not exactly practical either. You see, while Shooting Brakes have additional space at the back, normally for two more passengers and extra luggage, this one retains the mid-engine setup, so the only thing hidden under the extended section of the roof is the V8 and its peripherals. Also, the rear trunk area, if it has such a thing, would be suitable for mice and their offspring, so the whole idea of such a body style simply does not work at all in this case.
Before reflecting on the design, we will remind you that the McLaren Senna came out more than four years ago, and uses a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine, hooked up to a dual-clutch seven-speed automatic transmission that turns the rear wheels. It pushes out 789 hp (800 ps / 588 kW) at 7,250 rpm, and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque between 5,500 and 6,700 rpm. This enables a 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph) in 2.8 seconds, and allows it to hit the 124 mph (200 kph) mark in 6.8 seconds after setting off. Top speed is rated at 208 mph (335 kph), according to the official spec sheet.
Production of the McLaren Senna is limited to 500 copies, and was sold out before the unveiling, despite the starting price that equals around $1 million in its home market.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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