McLaren Sold 1,648 Sports Cars in 2014, Including 248 P1s

2014 appears to have been the best year ever for many luxury and sports car manufacturers, with McLaren Automotive announcing 1,648 sales last year, an absolute record for the brand.

McLaren P1 reviews filmed on the track

We have seen a fair share of McLaren P1 reviews filmed on the track, but I’m sure many of you wonder what the hypercar is like to drive on the eopen road. Autocar has an answer to this question, as Steve Sutcliffe had the chance to drive the P1 for three days on public roads, on the circuit and on an airfield and come up with a conclusion.

McLaren Kills 12C to Focus on New 650S, Offers Free Upgrades to Owners of the Former

We can't say that we are surprised to learn that McLaren is discontinuing the 12C, previously known as the MP4-12C, after the launch of the 650S (in Coupe and Spider forms), as the latter is essentially a facelifted version of the former with more power and a higher price tag.

Chris Harris Drives McLaren 650S, Says It’s Faster and More Comfortable than 12C

Some may say that the McLaren 650S is a facelift of the MP4-12C, others may argue that it’s a completely new model but, as always, the truth is somewhere in the middle. While the 650S is based on the MP4-12C, engineers and designers have made quite a few changes.

Get Out Your Checkbooks, McLaren 650S Priced in the U.S. and Canada

McLaren has just revealed its pricing scheme for the new 650S, which it will be selling in North America as both a Coupe and a Spider.

McLaren Working on Next P15 Hybrid Flagship, Could Come with Honda Power

Whatever's going on in the minds that run McLaren is probably too much for us to currently process. They launched the 12C (born MP4 dash), then took their time developing the unique and much-anticipated P1, only to then idle production of the first model, release another more powerful one based on it (but with a P1 face) and now we learn that they are looking at a new flagship, powered by a Honda hybrid system.

Price Nudges Porsche 911 Turbo S into Range of Supercars, Chris Harris Tries it Against McLaren

The McLaren 12C is a pure-bred supercar, with only two seats, a better, simpler name than before and over 600 hp. The new Porsche 911 Turbo S is none of those things, and is heavier, all-wheel driven, less comfortable and slower.

However, Chris Harris thinks the two could be called rivals, at a stretch, especially if you option up your Porsche and/or get a discount on the McLaren; get an approved used one even cheaper is a third way.

He is so convinced that the two are rivals that he’s made a video trying to explain the point – it may just be an excuse to hoon some cars on both road and track, but as long as it’s both entertaining and informative in its own right, we’ll look the other way and not nitpick.

Conclusions are straightforward: driving the British car is more of an event, because it’s an actual supercar, plus I’d add my own input and say it’s far better looking than the bloated, almost bulbous-looking 991, a condition made worse by the extra widening of the Turbo.

It is dragged down by its uninspiring-sounding engine that reportedly exhibits noticeable turbo lag, and it’s not as practical as the purportedly four-seater Porsche, nor is it as upmarket-looking inside.

By Andrei Nedelea

VIDEO

McLaren Reportedly Denies Alleged Plans for Mainstream Hatchback

It turns out that McLaren isn’t thinking about making a mainstream hatchback as we originally reported here. We’ve now been tipped from Inautonews that the manufacturer was formally asked and it replied through an official representative that it “has no plans to create and build a car in the C-segment.”

Here's what McLaren said: "Actually it was not really a news and Frank Stephenson said that more on a joke tone… McLaren has no plans to create and build a car in the C-segment. In 2015, McLaren will launch the next all-new sportscar, and will take McLaren into a lower pricepoint (top-end Porsche 911/Audi R8)."

So, it turns out that designer Frank Stephenson who spoke to a Dutch site was either wrong or just joking and the humor got lost in the translation/interpretation part.

Granted, it was a bit far-fetched to begin with, but it would not have been the first time that a manufacturer had to resort to selling cars not at all close to the company philosophy, in order to make its trademark vehicles – Porsche and Aston Martin come to mind here

Chances are we will never ever hear of this McLaren hatchback, but it was fun to think what such a thing could have realistically been like. To me it sounded like a car that would be similar in dimensions to a BMW 1-Series, yet with McLaren design and distinguishing traits.

By Andrei Nedelea

Note: 12C pictured

PHOTO GALLERY

McLaren Designer Frank Stephenson Says More Mainstream Hatchback May Come out of Woking

McLaren’s preferred segment of the automotive market usually has it battling it out in the highest echelons of performance and engineering against an increasingly numerous crowd of increasingly competent models made by new and old manufacturers.

However, while many are trying to break into the supercar niche, the Woking-based company is apparently mulling a way out and starting to make a lower-priced (but hopefully not overly-watered down) interpretation of their philosophy.

That’s the information collected by Autovisie magazine from renowned designer Frank Stephenson, who in the past, penned models like the new MINI Cooper and the Ferrari F430 and is now working for McLaren. He explained that a €30,000 - €40,000 ($40,250 - $53,600) hatchback model built around a carbon fiber monocoque is a plausible future endeavor for the company in the future.

Now that’s a car that’s worth waiting for, if, of course, it stays true to the brand philosophy and its creation uses as little corner cutting as possible. However, if by making it this cheap they’ll lose their ethos, they might as well just take cars from other manufacturers and just make a McLaren-tuned/engineered edition, if they want more mainstream exposure...

Finally, Stephenson expressed his feelings about the modern automotive design scene. He explained that the industry is being plagued by having its decisions taken exclusively by committees, and while this may not be so obviously bad for the stuff you don’t see or use directly, when it comes to styling, it has a definite detrimental effect. He points to Audi (and its design yawn-fest) as an example of what to steer away from.

Note: Photos used here are of the non-Stephenson-designed X1 concept; it shows McLaren is willing to "break free of the norm," though.

By Andrei Nedelea

PHOTO GALLERY

Report Says McLaren P1 Has Already Sold Out Too

If you’re in the market for one of the new three hybrid hypercars, you’re not in luck. Not only do we already know that the Ferrari LaFerrari is already entirely spoken for, but we now also learn from TopGear that the McLaren P1 is, as well. They say that a mere eight months after it was revealed in Geneva, all 375 examples of the planned production run have been sold.

The high demand caught the company a bit by surprise, as an official spokesperson that was quoted in the report said:

"We set ourselves the target to be sold out by year-end off the back of first cars being delivered to customers in September, the fiftieth anniversary of McLaren's founding. Demand for the car has been consistently strong since Geneva. A combination of the first feedback from customers and Top Gear's review of the P1 has seen us cross the line a little sooner than we had planned..."

Still, there’s always the Porsche 918 Spyder to go for, and knowing the brand, its probably the most usable of the trio, plus it also gets the largest production run – 918 units will be made.

By Andrei Nedelea

PHOTO GALLERY

McLaren Shows P1 at NYC Private Event, Says Only the Front Bumper and Rear Vents will Change

When McLaren presented the P1 Concept at this year's Paris Motor Show, it told us that its new supercar was 97 percent production ready in terms of its exterior design.
If you have been wondering what kind of changes that 3 percent represents, then you'll be happy to know that the British carmaker answered that question during a private event in New York City that was attended and filmed by Jason Thorgalsen.

McLaren Launches New Line of Products Inspired by the MP4-12C

Like most high-end carmakers these days, McLaren Automotive is also venturing into the retail business with a range of products that are sold from its recently launched McLaren eStore.
Just before Christmas, the British carmaker released a new line inspired by its MP4-12C sports car series that includes a variety of accessories, clothing and luggage with a price to match its name…

Scoop: McLaren P1 Filmed Testing on the Road, First Glimpse at the Cabin

Sure, most of you have seen the McLaren P1 concept that was revealed at the recent Paris Motor Show and have checked out spy shots of taped-up pre-production prototypes, but how about watching it drive on the road?
Well, if you haven't, here's your chance to do so thanks to a new spy video, courtesy of French publication L'Automobile.
We've already established the fact that the exterior appearance of McLaren's P1 hypercar won't change much from study, but this video also affords us our first look at the interior that was hidden behind blacked out windows on the concept.

McLaren MC-1 Design Study Reimagines the P1 Concept

As evidenced by the spy pictures of the P1 prototype that we showed you earlier this week and which reveal that the production model will stay if not 100, 99 percent true to the concept, McLaren has long decided upon the looks of its F1 successor that is slated for a world premiere at next year's Geneva Salon.
McLaren's team of designers and aerodynamic engineers may be sure about the P1's looks, but an old acquaintance of CarScoop, designer David Cardoso from Belgium, kindly disagrees.

McLaren MP4-12C Spider Makes its Italian Premiere at the 37th Bologna Motor Show

McLaren has made no secret that it wants each of its models to outgun Ferrari. The MP4-12C coupe, capable as it is, was deemed too clinical and lost out to the 458, forcing McLaren to make some changes that will be retrofitted to cars already sold.

Spy Shots: McLaren Suits Up New P1 Hypercar and Takes it Out for Testing

The most eagerly anticipated hypercar to be born in the land of Kings, Queens and Knights since…well, since McLaren's almighty F1 from the 1990s, the new P1, has been dressed up appropriately for some final stage testing before we see it in its final production costume next spring.
McLaren gave us our first look at the mid-engined P1 at the 2012 Paris Motor Show with a concept car, and from the looks of it, there won't be any notable changes made to the styling of the production model which keeps everything, from the centrally mounted air scoop on the roof to the wavy retractable rear spoiler.

McLaren's Ron Dennis and Franks Stephenson Walk us Through the P1 Concept in New Videos

You have to give credit where credit is due: when McLaren managing director Anthony Sheriff visited the 2008 Paris Auto Show, he knew that McLaren staff had many ideas but they were all on paper.
Fast forward to today and McLaren has already released two production models, the MP4-12C and its open-top Spyder version, and will have delivered 1,500 cars by the end of 2012.

McLaren Talks About its New P1 Hypercar Concept in Paris Auto Show Video

The 2012 Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris was the event chosen by McLaren Automotive to present the world debut of the brand-new P1 hypercar in pre-production trim, about a year before it goes on sale.
McLaren claims that the P1 draws inspiration from its racing division and its target is to produce the world’s best driving car both on the road and on the track.
"The McLaren P1 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage", says McLaren Automotive Executive Chairman Ron Dennis. "Twenty years ago we raised the supercar performance bar with the McLaren F1 and our goal with the McLaren P1 is to redefine it once again."

McLaren MP4-12C Sports Car Rendered as a Spider

Just last week, we told you about McLaren and its plans to enhance the range of its new MP4-12C sports car with an open top version that may be named MP4-12S (for Spider).
Using the info that has been circulating around the net, Teamspeed and artist Wildspeed came up with a handful of renderings to give us a visual of what the McLaren MP4-12C Spider may look like when it comes out of its shell (or so to speak), within the next year.

Tis the Time to Watch Out: Cool Timepieces for the Auto Enthusiast

A red and white McLaren and a bright yellow-helmeted driver behind the wheel storming down the track is one of the images that defined the 1980’s-era of Formula 1.
The driver was, of course, the late Ayrton Senna. And the watch he wore was always a TAG Heuer, something that made many young fans of the most charismatic driver the world has ever seen yearn for one.
The Swiss brand continues its partnership with the Woking-based F1 team, making sure that Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button flash their timepieces at every opportunity.
On the other hand, the most famous, if not really the most exclusive or expensive watchmaker in the world, Rolex, has linked its name not only with the late actor, racing driver and Indycar team owner Paul Newman, but also sponsors and big names, many major events after its most coveted model, the Daytona chronograph.