McLaren teases 650S successor before Geneva debut

Lighter, stronger and faster, the new mid-engined coupe – described by the firm as its heartland model – will be McLaren’s most potent supercar since the Ultimate Series P1 ended production.

Powered by a development of the twin turbo V8, it will be tasked with widening the performance gap to the Sports Series range and tackling the 670bhp Ferrari 488GTB head on – just as its pioneering forebear, the MP4 12C, did with the Ferrari 458 just over five years ago.

In an astonishing rise, McLaren Automotive has produced 10,000 supercars since that first 12C, is now in profit and embarking on a £1 billion new-model Track22 investment programme of which the 650S successor will be the first evidence.

The new car to take its bow in Geneva in early March marks the first time in McLaren Automotive’s short history that it has replaced an entire series of cars. Although it is likely to debut in S coupe form only, a family of models including convertible, track-focused and Long Tail variants is highly likely in due course. 

McLaren says that more than half the 15 all-new cars or derivatives to be launched by 2022 in line with the Track22 plan will feature some form of hybrid power assist system. While the new Super Series architecture will have been designed to take that into account, a hybrid version is thought to be a way off yet.                         

Which leaves the V8, familiar from all other McLarens in different states of tune but always in 3.8-litre capacity. Whether that comes down for the new model, in line with the current downsizing vogue, remains to be seen. How much power a development of the V8 will give the new Super Series – and thus what the new model will be badged – is so far unknown. The high 600s – the McLaren 690S?– is our guess. That would beat the Ferrari and provide a 120PS buffer to the 570S – already a blindingly fast car.

So far so little that’s revolutionary. But McLaren Automotive boss Mike Flewitt is in no doubt: “Super Series is the core of the McLaren business and the new Super Series will be absolutely true to McLaren’s pioneering spirit in being a revolutionary leap forwards, both for our brand and the supercar segment.”

In keeping with the nature of a pre-show teaser, McLaren is giving nothing away at this stage about the new car’s design. However the car’s shape – plus the aero package, the way the doors open, the headlight graphics, the style of air intakes – are all thought to be in for a major shake-up. 

The one picture so far revealed shows how the new car looks under its carbon skin. We are used to calling McLaren’s carbon central structure MonoCell but with this model McLaren is upping cell to cage, and we have MonocageII. It is said to be more rigid but lighter than the carbon and steel structure of the 12C and the main contributor to an 18kg weight reduction over the 650S. McLaren says that at an all-up dry weight of 1283kg, the new car is the lightest in its class.

The new car promises to be easier to live with than the 650S, with the new structure delivering wider door apertures and lower sills for easier entry and exit, as first featured in the Sports Series cars. It is likely as well the 2017 Super Series models will have dihedral doors, similar to the F1’s, that extend way up into the roof section, as the picture of MonocageII suggests.

It is thought McLaren will be relying on a door system like this in order to make exit and entry easily possible in the new £2m three-seat, central driving position BP23 hypercar project due in 2019, suggesting it too will be based around this new MonocageII structure. 

A lower centre of gravity is said to be another benefit of the new carbon tub, which can also deliver a visual boost in the form of a “Visible Monocage” option that shows the new structure on the inside of the A-pillars.

McLaren is promising full details, including prices, in March, ahead of sales beginning this year. And so begins the next chapter in the short but oh-so-sweet story of Britain’s new supercar world power.