How McLaren's Three-Seat Hybrid Hypercar Came to Be
The McLaren F1 successor is expected to enter production in 2019.
Late last year, McLaren confirmed it was working on a three-seater, hybrid hypercar codenamed BP23 and that it would be limited to just 106 units. Now, Autoblog has gotten details on how the BP23 project came to be, and what we should expect once it debuts.
The F1’s successor will join the company’s Ultimate Series lineup and McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt said it actually started as a one-off model commissioned by a collector. At the time, the project was designed by McLaren Special Operations (MSO) and it didn’t take long before word spread and McLaren received a second order for an identical car.
From there, orders kept coming and the British automaker decided to increase the cap to 12 units. But that wasn’t enough, so it went up again to 46 to meet demand before McLaren settled on 106 units, the same number of F1s that were built from 1992 to 1998.
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Flewitt confirmed the BP23 will be the fastest and most powerful model McLaren has ever built and it won’t have aggressive spoilers, splitters and big wings. The hypercar will instead focus on a fluid, streamlined design with a focus on having the lowest coefficient of drag possible. And there won’t be a convertible version as all 106 units will take the form of a coupe.
The car also isn’t being designed with racing in mind, powered by a V8 hybrid powertrain. So that means there won’t be a hardcore track-focused version. Pricing starts at around 1.9-million British pounds ($2.4 million) and it’s likely it will be sold out before it even debuts.
Approximately 30 units are heading to the U.S., but they won’t be street legal. The units heading to the U.S. will enter under the Show or Display rule, exempting it from all emissions and safety regulations since its considered historically or technologically interesting. There is an exemption, as enthusiasts who own a car covered by the rule aren’t allowed to drive it for more than 2,500 miles a year on public roads.
[Source: Autoblog]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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One of the best road cars that you can drive and/or take a ride in - still Central position puts you exactly in the spots its east to navigate through gaps and traffic in the city and then on the expressway. As a passenger its a little cramped but very fun ... not for long distances but an hours drive is about great Sadly they all tucked away in collections now and mainly you'll see only at events and/or visiting Mclaren or at Mclaren track days ... Mclaren had/has the Ueno clinic GT version in their 'walk' when you visit. One of the greatest