McLaren's spiritual successor to the F1 will be called a Speedtail, the British firm announced Wednesday. The name is meant to evoke the car's flowing, highly streamlined design.
Code-named the BP32 and described as a hyper GT, the Speedtail will make its debut later this year ahead of the first deliveries in late 2019. Just 106 will be built, the number matching the original run of McLaren F1s.
All build slots are sold despite the car having a price tag of $2.1 million, and each resulting Speedtail will be personalized to the tastes of its owner by the MSO division. Owners will also receive a special sculpture highlighting the uniqueness of the car.
McLaren BP23 development mule
Test mules are currently hitting race tracks in Europe, with the makeshift body of a 720S used to hide the new mechanicals. Those makeshift bodies also hide the car's three-seat layout, which features the same central driving position made famous by the F1.
The car will be the fastest and most powerful McLaren road car to date, meaning its top speed will eclipse the 243 mph set by the F1. Power will come from a hybrid setup likely pairing the 720S's 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 with an electric drive system, and peak output will be higher than the 903 horsepower of the P1.
The Speedtail isn't expected to be McLaren's fastest car at the track, however. This is because it will be more of a grand tourer than a track machine like the Senna and P1 GT-R, with McLaren focused on providing some level of luxury and comfort and probably even some storage space for a bag or two. In other words, you probably won't see it lining up against the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Mercedes-AMG Project One in a future comparo.
