McLaren thriller comes into focus

Text: Sam Hardy / Photos: Craig Smith

26th September 2008

Mercedes’ Gullwing is shaping up nicely, but it’s not the only new supercar on the way – McLaren is working on one, too. Could this be it?

Eagle-eyed Auto Express reader Craig Smith sent us this blurred spy shot of a disguised sports car, snapped near McLaren’s headquarters in Woking, Surrey. Although it’s hard to make a positive identification, it’s certainly the right shape and size for the P11 – the codename for the firm’s Ferrari F430 rival. It will use a Mercedes-sourced V8 and tip the scales at 1,200kg, thanks to liberal use of carbon fibre.

This light weight is crucial to its appeal – McLaren wants a sports car to reflect its Formula One know-how, unlike the last model it created, the SLR. The P11 will cost much less than its predecessor, too, at around £150,000.