THE McLaren Today it presented its latest model, the Speedtail, and as it did 25 years ago with the F1, the Woking brand decided that its new model should have three seats.
So, as in the McLaren F1 the driver sits in the center seat while the passengers go slightly behind and to the side.
With production limited to 106 units and a price of around 2 million euros (excluding taxes or extras such as the brand symbol and the lettering of the model plated with another 18 carat model) the Speedtail is the most McLaren's exclusive today. Capable of reaching 403 km/h and reaching 0 to 300 km/h in just 12.8 s, it is also McLaren's fastest model ever.
The Speedtail's interior leaves nothing to be desired from any spaceship from a sci-fi movie, with the cockpit being marked by the enormous touch screens that make it up. Above the driver's head (just like in planes), there are the few physical controls that the car has and that control the windows, the engine start and even the dynamic assists that the Speedtail has.
Futuristic inside, aerodynamic outside
If the Speedtail's interior resembles that of a spaceship, the exterior is not far behind in futurism. Thus, the body made of carbon fiber was designed to be as aerodynamic as possible and for that it even forsook the traditional rear-view mirrors in favor of two cameras.
But the British brand did not stop there. To help the Speedtail “cut” the air better, McLaren created Velocity mode, in which the cameras “hide” in the doors and the car lowers 35mm. All this to help reduce aerodynamic drag and allow the Speedtail to reach a maximum speed of 403 km/h.
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Still in the aerodynamic chapter, McLaren decided to equip the Speedtail with a pair of retractable ailerons that both help it reach maximum speed and help it when braking. The most interesting thing about these hydraulically actuated ailerons is the fact that they are part of the rear panel, thanks to the use of flexible carbon fiber.
What engine do you use? It's a secret…
To be able to reach 403 km/h and go from 0 to 300 km/h in just 12.8 s aerodynamics is not enough, so McLaren uses a hybrid solution to liven up its new “Hyper-GT”. Altogether, the combination between the combustion engine and the hybrid system produces 1050 hp, however the brand does not reveal which engine is located under the Speedtail's bonnet.So the best we can do is speculate, but we're leaning towards the Speedtail's engine being a beefy version of the 4.0l and around 800hp twin-turbo V8 we found on the McLaren Senna coupled with a used-based hybrid system. on P1, however this is, as we told you, just our guess.
Out of stock production
Despite the prohibitive price for the common of mortals (and even for some less common ones…) the 16 McLaren Speedtails are already all owned, and the lucky ones who were able to acquire this landmark of the automobile industry should start receiving them at the beginning 2020.
