McLaren have now announced the official name of its upcoming hypercar, the next standalone model to follow the P1 in its uppermost tier of vehicles, the Ultimate Series. It will basically be their ultimate expression of high performance for the coming decade with only 106 to be made, all of which have already been sold.
As is the custom for low volume ultra-exclusivity, the would be owners are handpicked by McLaren and have been made privy to the car’s development, including its near final design during private viewings. They’ve apparently had to reserve the car by paying the full price of £1.6million upfront, sight (mostly) unseen.
Previously referred to by its internal designation BP23, and more colloquially as the ‘Hyper GT’, the Speedtail will be a 3 seater in much the same vein as the McLaren F1, with the driver flanked by two passenger seats.
A petrol-electric hybrid powertrain will live in the middle, expectedly, likely to be derived from the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 used in the 720S supercar. Coupled with its very aerodynamic body, the Speedtail is expected to be able to achieve the highest top speed of ay McLaren yet, exceeding the 390km/h benchmark of the F1 road car from the 1990s.
To achieve this, downforce, by comparison, will play second fiddle to reduced wind resistance in the Speedtail’s list of priorities. It follows, then, that the car will likely not be the natural candidate to break circuit lap time records. Rather, because of this focus on sheer speed, the car will also be quite luxurious, hence its designation as a GT.
Given that the P1 from 2013 had an combined output of 986 horsepower (roughly 735kW), the Speedtail will no doubt surpass the 1000hp mark. It’s also likely that its electric motors will be mated to a multi-ratio transmission in service of a maximum top speed. In contrast, the P1’s electric motors were engineered to aid acceleration when to fill the gaps where its combustion engine was not delivering peak output.
With the deposits placed and final design nearly complete, McLaren is expected to unveil the Speedtail at private event before the end of 2018. Meanwhile, production is expected to commence at the end of 2019, with each unit fully customised to the owner’s specification by McLaren Special Operations (MSO).
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