What do we make of this new McLaren supercar?
Details are still sketchy, but McLaren already mentioned this particular model, referring to it as the HPH, or “High Performance Hybrid.”
Obviously, it’s not going to take that name, nor will it carry the “P16” codename that Automobile magazine referenced earlier this week.
Speaking of Automobile, the news site also provided patent photos of the said supercar that McLaren may have inadvertently revealed in the Wipo IP Portal. Even with all the questions surrounding the new supercar, what’s clear is this: the patent photos reveal a lot about the new Mac’s appearance.
What do the patent photos show?
The photos show what looks to be a very saucy McLaren, revealed in all the angles you can imagine. The front section, for example, shows an evolved look from previous McLaren models. The recessed headlights and the side air intakes are connected to create McLaren’s unmistakable boomerang logo. The front fender vents are also easy to spot, as is the rakish windscreen and the very prominent side air scoops. Over at the back, the slender taillights and the dual exhaust tips are integrated into what looks to be one of the biggest rear air vents we’ve seen in a performance car. It’s so big that you don’t actually notice the rounded bumper and the split rear diffuser until you take a closer look at the photo. The character lines on the side are where they should be, adding to the provocative visual appeal of what figures as one of the most dramatically styled McLarens we’ve ever seen.
At the very least, the patent photos are in line with recent spy shots of the HPH — or P16 — that we received from our trusty spy photographers. These photographs show the defining design points of the new McLaren in better detail. The triangular air intakes in the front, the side scoops, and the huge mesh vent at the back are all there.
What kind of powertrain will it carry?
Powertrain details have yet to be revealed, but Automotive News has reported that the new McLaren will be a plug-in hybrid that will include an all-new twin-turbocharged V-6 engine.
It’s a smaller engine that the twin-turbo V-8 that McLaren has used on the 570S and every road-going McLaren in recent years, but the new Mac will also feature a yet-to-be-determined number of electric motors. It’ll most likely be two motors and a battery pack that will offer 19 miles of EV range and a three- to four-hour charge time.
The output is anyone’s guess at this point, but since this model is tapped to sit between the 612-horsepower GT and the 710-horsepower 720S, the output will likely sit somewhere between those two numbers. 660 horsepower, perhaps?
When’s it coming out and how much will it cost?
It’s been established that McLaren has plans to launch a new plug-in hybrid supercar in 2021. Unless the company has another model that it has said nothing about, the 2021 release will almost certainly be this model. For now, we can call it the HPH or the P18. But it’ll definitely take a different name when it comes out.
As far as price goes, a price tag in the neighborhood of $240,000 is likely. It’ll definitely be more expensive than the $210,000 GT and cheaper than the $295,000 720S.
Source: Automobile Mag