There's something special about places named after people. They carry deep nostalgic memories. But there's something even more special about cars named after legendary race car drivers. The Tommi Makinen Evo VI, Bugatti Veyron, Enzo Ferrari, and the McLaren Senna all have one thing in common - they are a reincarnation of spirited performers on a mission to dominate the race track. James Walker of Mr. JWW sought to compare two of the highest specced McLaren Sennas.
According to Walker, the Senna is the distillation of what McLaren is all about. Named after famous McLaren F1 driver Ayrton Senna, its nomenclature suggests this race car's ethos.
McLaren says the Senna is their most direct and responsive car. There's no sound deadening. It's 100 percent raw and purely about driving performance, lap times, and downforce. These track performers carry an unbelievable 800 kg of downforce, put out 789 HP, and go from 0 to 60 mph (97 kph) in 2.8-seconds. It has a top speed of over 200 mph (322 kph). The McLaren Senna is one of McLaren's lightest road cars ever developed.
Under the hood, the Senna runs a flat-plane crank turbocharged V8, and Walker thinks the engagement from these is unbelievable. He is comparing two Sennas, both MSO Editions (McLaren Special Operations), one purchased in Europe and the other, in UAE.
Perhaps the most iconic feature of the McLaren Senna is its aero. The rear wing weighs 5 kilograms and can hold up to 100 times its weight. Together with the rest of the aero, it develops 800 kg of downforce, similar to a GT3 category race car.
From the rear, the most defining feature of the two Sennas is the exhaust. This is due to territory regulations on automobile exhausts. The U.S. Senna has a twin exhaust tip, while the Euro-spec Senna comes with a three tipped version.
The overall color theme is opposite on the two Sennas. However, the themes came from Brazil and Ayrton. Walker's car is green and yellow, iconic to Brazilian flag colors. His friend's Senna has a dark blue exterior shade, and a contrasting Brazilian interior - a nod to Ayrton Senna's helmet.
The interiors are also worlds apart, except for the 12 o'clock marker on the steering wheel. The most defining part of Walker's Senna are the green exposed carbon seats. They each weigh just 5 kg.
More disparities exist, especially on the exterior, aero cladding, and carbon shading. Both cars also come with Ayrton Senna's signature on the carbon sills, expressing mutual love for the legend's driving prowess.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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