Brace yourselves, the next McLaren model is coming down the pipe. Yes, another one; new models are getting more and more frequent as the Woking based automaker settles deeper into its role as one of the world’s premier supercar-maker.
According to a source that dealt with Brit-mag Autocar, this new car will be an open top Speedster closely related to the Senna track-weapon. Rather than being convertible variant, which might compromise performance related aspects, McLaren have apparently decided to forego a roof entirely; maybe even a windscreen, making a full-face helmet a necessity.
The car is meant to be the ultimate lightweight machine, a virtual antithesis to the more comfort-oriented McLaren GT and the horizon-chasing Speedtail. Naturally, it will sit alongside the Senna in the company’s Ultimate Series of cars, which also includes the now-discontinued P1 hybrid hypercar.
More than likely, the company’s 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 will be called for action, mounted behind the driver and within the bespoke MonoCage II carbon core. However, and interestingly, the source claims this new model will be receive a power downgrade over the Senna on which it’s based.
The Senna’s engine produces 588kW and 800Nm, driving the rear wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. But perhaps that kind of power is deemed a little too much even for McLaren to unleash upon a possible pair of occupants unprotected from the elements.
The reasoning seems to be that, because the roofless model isn’t aimed at lap times but rather at delivering the thrills that their more cocooned vehicles can’t. And besides, the fact that it’s missing a canopy does mean a significant amount of weight is unaccounted for does bring its power-to-weight into line with the Senna anyway.
Access to the cockpit can be as easy as a hop over the sides, but the engineers seem keen on keeping the dihedral doors, albeit a pair that are hinged and positioned in a manner different from other McLarens.
A pair of similar canopy-less speedsters were quite recently introduced by Ferrari as part of their limited run Icona series and based off their flagship V12 grand tourer, the 812 Superfast. It’s safe to assume that the McLaren will also come in very small numbers and be sold to select buyers.
For more on McLaren cars, check out our Showroom.
