Unveiled in December 2017, the Senna can only be described as a modern classic with the on-track performance to match the mid-engine supercar’s name. Ayrton Senna would be proud of it, alright! On the other hand, there’s a little room for improvement as far as the 4.0-liter engine is concerned.
The M840TR twin-turbo V8 produces 800 PS and 800 Nm out of the box, translating to 789 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. Specifying the Inconel exhaust system and N-Tronic module from Novitec unlocks 901 PS (889 horsepower) and 888 Nm (655 pound-feet) of torque, an upgrade that helps the Senna sling to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.7 seconds and 200 km/h in 6.5 clicks.
Top speed? That’s rated at 335 km/h according to the tuning shop that’s also willing to upgrade the wheels with forged alloys. Wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero rubber boots, the wheels can be specified in no fewer than 72 colors as long as the dimensions are 9 by 20 up front and 12 by 21 inches at the rear.
If we can turn back to the exhaust for a moment, Novitec makes a case for “extensive thermal insulation” and two top-exit pipes measuring 95 millimeters. Customers can specify polished or matte-black finishes.
The wheels, on the other hand, come from Vossen rather than featuring an in-house design from Novitec. The centerlock forged alloys feature seven twin-spokes extending all the way to the outer edge of the wheel.
Designed by former Jaguar Land Rover man Robert Melville, the Senna is limited to 500 units at 750,000 pounds sterling each before options. The track-only Senna GTR is even rarer, but most importantly, McLaren is the only company that received the Senna family’s blessing to use the driver’s name.
Often referred to as the driver’s driver, Ayrton Senna won three titles with McLaren before switching to Williams. The Brazilian unfortunately died aged 34 after a fatal crash at the San Marino Grand Prix on May 1st, ‘94.
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
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