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McLaren Teases New Super Sport Model’s Active Rear Wing

After the first photo of the all-new McLaren without a bit of camouflaged had been leaked today via a YouTube video, the Woking-based automaker made the decision to get on with the teasing game. On this occasion, McLaren decided to show us the rear-end design and rear wing of its next-generation supercar.
2018 McLaren Super Series design teaser (rear end and active rear wing) 27 photos
Photo: McLaren
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Dubbed P14 and rumored to be called 720S once it goes official this March, the newcomer is said to be twice as aerodynamically efficient compared to its awe-inspiring predecessor. Speaking of the 650S, the heir apparent boasts over 50 percent more downforce. From the teaser photo, it’s also easy to observe that the rear end is decked in carbon fiber. Like lots of it.

The design of the taillights, active rear wing, and honeycomb-like grille located below the taillights have a P1 feel to them, which is a tell-tale sign McLaren isn’t joking around. What’s more, the engineers behind the P14 managed to improve cooling efficiency by 15 percent over the 650S, which is an indicator that the new Super Series packs a helluva lot of firepower.

Hearsay suggests the 720S or whatever it will be called will use an evolution of McLaren’s 3.8-liter M838T flat-plane V8 engine. According to rumors, 4.0 liters capacity and 720 PS (710 horsepower) would be appropriate for the mid-range McLaren. Regarding stopping prowess, the active rear wing can morph into a full-on airbrake in less than 0.5 seconds, apparently.

The dihedral doors are pretty special too in their own right. McLaren explains that two “air ducts are integrated within the door structure." One of those air ducts is designed to force the air "from the top of the door down into the High Temperature Radiators that cool the [yet-to-be-detailed] engine." The other "draws air out of the front wheel arch to create increased downforce."

McLaren tells that full details and specifications on the second-generation Super Series are to be released in Geneva, but I wouldn’t bet on that. With customer previews planned for the end of February, we might get a glimpse of what makes the P14 tick sooner than McLaren is willing to let us know.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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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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