New McLaren ‘P50’ supercar with manual gearbox to reference a past icon
Manual transmissions are making a comeback in ultra-exclusive supercars and McLaren’s getting in on the action
McLaren looks set to shake the champagne flutes at Monterey Car Week by unveiling an all-new supercar with a manual gearbox.
Rumours over the past few weeks that McLaren would reveal something special at Monterey included unconfirmed reports that the new car would be called P50 – no relation to the tiny three-wheeled Peel P50, of course - and an official teaser video.
Now McLaren has officially confirmed it will reveal a new car on 14 August, which it says will be “inspired by our legacy”. In a social video teasing what could be the new P50, there’s a clip of the company’s founder, Bruce McLaren, being interviewed back in the late sixties. In it, he’s asked about the possibility of a future road-going car – something he didn’t experience when the legendary F1 rolled out in the nineties because he died in 1970.
"Some way down the line, I think it is bound to happen," McLaren says in the teaser video. “I hope it happens. We’re dreaming about a road car”. The 1969 M6GT (pictured) was meant to be McLaren’s first road-going supercar and several prototypes were made, but only one was road legal. Coincidentally, that car has just been restored by McLaren Special Operations.
It featured a 5.7-litre Chevrolet V8 and a five-speed manual transmission – and the latter is set to inspire the latest McLaren. In the teaser clip, we can see the unmistakable image of a driver manually shifting gears – although it remains to be seen whether this is through a conventional manual transmission or a shift-by-wire system like that on the new Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale.
There’s also a slight glimpse of the roof and engine covering of the car. Unsurprisingly given McLaren’s back catalogue, it’s a mid-engined layout – but it’s not clear which particular powerplant it is. McLaren’s ‘high-performance hybrid’ range, including the Artura for instance, uses a twin-turbocharged V6 with electrical assistance. Considering the more purist angle of a manual gearbox, the twin-turbocharged, non-hybridised V8 from the 750S and GTS might make more sense; or, if if McLaren has found a way of making it suitable for road use, there’s also the Solus GT’s manic, naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10.
We’ll find out more about McLaren’s mystery Monterey supercar later this week.
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