McLaren’s next Ultimate Series model will be an
open-cockpit speedster focused on on-road driving thrills rather than track
usage, making it also the first dedicated topless road car the brand has ever
offered. Quoting a source with knowledge of the project, Autocar reports that
the new limited-production hypercar will join the Speedtail hyper-GT and the
track-focused Senna in McLaren’s ‘Ultimate Series’ range, designed to highlight
the more fun side to the brand.
The design of the upcoming McLaren speedster will
evoke open-top prototype race cars of the past, much like what Ferrari did with
the Monza SP1 and SP2 Speedster specials. Unlike the razor-sharp looks of
the Senna, the new McLaren speedster will feature a bodywork with more ‘fluid’,
elegant lines, a theme that will continue inside the vehicle as well.
Meanwhile, a set of low-profile dihedral butterfly doors will of course be
present.
Power will reportedly come from McLaren’s twin-turbo
4.0-liter V8 engine alone and not a hybrid powertrain like the one in the
Speedtail. The unit will be paired most likely to the company’s dual-clutch
transmission. Given that the model will be focused towards road use, the engine
output is expected to be similar or slightly reduced from the 789 hp it
makes in the Senna. However, the new McLaren speedster is said to weigh less
than the previously mentioned track-focused 1,198 kg hypercar.
McLaren will limit the production run of its
upcoming open-top hypercar, which is expected to enter production in late 2020
or early 2021, once the final examples of the Senna GTR come out of the
factory.
