McLaren is growing. In 2017 it sold around 3340 cars, a new record for the still young (very) sports car brand. A sign of this growth is the announcement of the expansion of its facilities, with the construction of a new technological center — the McLaren Composites Technology Center (MCTC).
They are the brand's first facilities outside the Woking complex, located in Sheffield, close to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Center at the University of Sheffield.
When finished and fully functional, the MCTC will not only form the basis for the continued evolution of the Monocage carbon cells, which are the structural core of all roadside McLarens, but will produce them by supplying them to the McLaren Production Center in Surrey, where your models are produced. About 200 people will work on the new MCTC.
The inauguration, “McLaren style”
Although the MCTC will only be completed in 2019, McLaren has already opened it, in an event that was marked not only by the presence, but also by the tire tracks of McLaren Senna, the latest member of the manufacturer's Ultimate Series. The word belongs to McLaren:A spectacular interior light show greeted guests, culminating with the newly revealed McLaren Senna performing a series of expertly choreographed “spins” leaving a fresh Pirelli tire trail on the floor of the new center, “christening it” — McLaren style .
McLaren Senna was not in bad company. Serving as a central element on the improvised stage, we could see the 1989 single-seater McLaren MP4/5. The Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna who, we remember, got his three World Champion titles while driving a McLaren.
McLaren Senna
Its appearance has generated debate, but the second element of the Ultimate Series — five years after the release of the P1 — leaves no doubt about its capabilities. The British brand promises a performance superior to the P1 on the circuit, thanks to less weight (only 1198 kg dry) and more downforce.
It dispenses with the electrical component of the P1, and the little we still know, stands out the 800 number — which serves both power and binary . It will be produced in just 500 units and yes, they have all been purchased.
In addition to the official film, we leave here the entire performance of McLaren Senna, published on Youtube by one of the guests at the event.