McLaren Supercar Won't Target Bugatti Veyron's Top Speed Record

McLaren is hard at work on its next supercar and Ron Dennis, the British automaker’s current boss has revealed several details of the spiritual successor to the F1.

First off, Dennis made it a point that McLaren has no plans of reclaiming the title of world’s fastest car. Trying to beat the F1’s top speed of 243-mph or the Bugatti Veyron’s new record of 267.81-mph, is not a goal for its new model. “Don’t get fixated by top speed. That’s the first thing you have to discard in today’s society,” Dennis said at the opening of a new dealership in Sydney, Australia.

What is a goal for McLaren’s next project is to be the world’s most technologically advanced supercar fit to take on the creations from Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini. Dennis hopes that the next supercar will have “many things on it that don’t exist at the moment.”

What he did confirm about the new supercar is that it will share the same carbon fiber central structure of the MP4-12C, that will also be used on a cheaper model to slide in under the existing MP4-12C. Quantities will be low volume, between 300 to 500, with pricing set to be more expensive than the 12C. It’s clear that Dennis has very high hopes for this new model, saying that it will be “a big quantum leap and very different to this car [MP4-12C].”

The British automaker looks to modify their existing 3.8L twin-turbo V8 for the new vehicle, seeking more performance with the possibility of adding a hybrid system in order to boost performance and fuel efficiency. Inside, it will sport a conventional two-seater layout as opposed to the F1’s three-seater setup.

One thing is for sure, the exterior design of this new model will be drastically different than the existing MP4-12C. We can’t wait to see what they have in the works.

[Source: Drive – Sydney Morning Herald]