Jim Holder, editorial director of the magazine, told the Press Association: “When Autocar tested the McLaren F1 in 1994 we described it as “possibly the fastest production road auto the world will ever see”.
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A true successor to the McLaren F1 with a three-seat layout, dihedral doors and an output of over 700 hp is now being developed by the Woking, UK-based automaker, a new report has revealed. But it’s said the new F1 will be more about speed whereas the P1 is about overall driving performance and technology.
A bespoke version of McLaren’s carbon-fibre tub is believed to be under development to allow for the central driving position and space for a passenger on each side of the driver – a hallmark feature of the original F1. Instead, it’s said to receive a heavily-tuned version of the company’s 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8.
Top speed will fall some way short of the original F1’s incredible 386km/h max, with the BP23 said to only “exceed 330km/h”.
Autocar speculated that the name of the new vehicle will be linked to the F1, such as F1 GT. With MSO heading this operation, we can expect something as radical as the F1 for its successor from the British marque.
Rising profits generated from sales of the 650S and 675LT have helped make a business case for the new model, says McLaren.
McLaren is alleged to be building just 64 examples of the new auto, the same number of road-going F1s it produced in the 1990s, and that it will launch in 2018, 30 years on from the first conversation between McLaren boss Ron Dennis, technical director Gordon Murray, part-owner of Tag, Mansour Ojjeh, and marketing boss Creighton Brown about creating the original F1. It will cost approximately £2 million, a sum that equates to roughly $2.6 million at the current conversion rate.
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On the inside, the new McLaren will also feature switch gear made of exquisite materials and the company will offer its customers a range of materials to choose from to provide a completely bespoke experience.
