McLaren launches supercar

Feast your eyes – these are the best images yet of McLaren's new supercar, the P11. The first solely-developed machine since the legendary F1, it will not only set new standards for performance, but will also be the most eco-friendly in its class. Those were the exciting claims made at an exclusive unveiling of the new Ferrari F430 rival at McLaren’s base in Woking, Surrey, which Auto Express attended recently.

Although no official images of the newcomer were made available, the new model looks almost identical to Auto Express’s illustrations shown here, adding a number of louvres to the front and rear bumpers, a pop-up rear wing and projector-style headlights.

Going on sale in 2011, the P11 will cost around £150,000 and boast technology from the company’s Formula One cars, including the very latest lightweight carbonfibre materials. It will be the first model to come from a new independent company, called McLaren Automotive, which will be headed up by Ron Dennis – who has stepped down as team principal of McLaren’s F1 operation – and managing director Antony Sheriff.

Dennis said the P11 would be “the most environmentally friendly car of its type” and although he wouldn’t elaborate, it’s expected to feature a KERS-style system, similar to that of the company’s Formula One cars, which captures heat energy from braking, boosting the engine’s power. Dennis also said the P11 will set new standards for safety too.   

Other technical details are thin on the ground at present, but the P11 is expected to use a Mercedes AMG-sourced 6.2-litre V8 engine and get carbon ceramic brakes. Some 1,000 models will be built in the first year of production, with a spiritual successor to the original F1 and an entry-level sub-£100,000 model completing the range and taking the company’s output to 4,000 cars by 2015.

Production will take place at a new factory – likely to be based within the grounds of McLaren’s Norman Foster-designed Technology Centre in Woking – with the new company generating 800 new jobs. Dennis said that he expected the new venture to double the value of the McLaren Group.  The P11 is expected to make its worldwide debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show in November.