After revealing the Speedtail two years ago, McLaren has now delivered the first customer examples of the hypercar.
The first car, finished in a shade of purple, was handed over to its owner at the McLaren dealership in Brussels, Belgium. As you might have expected, the car looks even more insane on the road than it does in the earlier studio shots.
For those unfamiliar with the Speedtail, it is the latest addition to McLaren's flagship Ultimate Series range of cars. It's been described by the company as the true successor to the F1, due mostly to its three-seat layout, but also because it's been designed to be the ultimate grand tourer rather than a pure track machine, just like the F1.
First McLaren Speedtail delivered to a customer
But unlike the relatively compact F1, the Speedtail is huge, measuring 202.8 inches in length, or about as long as a full-size sedan. And you'll notice there aren't any side mirrors. The Speedtail uses rear-facing cameras instead, a design that, together with the 3-seat layout, means the car isn't street-legal in the United States. However, a third of Speedtail build slots have been bought by buyers in the U.S., but they'll have to import the car via “Show or Display” rules if they want to drive it on local roads.
McLaren is yet to reveal full details on the powertrain but we know it is a hybrid setup likely utilizing a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 as its internal-combustion component. Peak output is 1,055 horsepower and 848 pound-feet of torque and drive is to the rear wheels only.
The Speedtail isn't a plug-in hybrid. Instead, the battery is kept charged by the engine. There will also be a method for wireless charging when the car is parked in a garage for long periods, McLaren said. The automaker didn't state whether an electric range will be possible.
McLaren Speedtail design theme
Top speed for the Speedtail is 250 mph. Such a speed makes the Speedtail the first McLaren road car to exceed the F1's 240.1 mph recorded top speed, though to reach it, Speedtail owners will have to engage a Velocity mode which lowers the ride height by 1.4 inches and retracts the side mirror-replacing cameras to make things as streamlined as possible.
The Speedtail's production run will be limited to 106 cars and each will cost its owner at least $2.25 million each. Why 106? Because the number matches the original run of McLaren F1s, and yes, all have been sold.
Note, McLaren has already revealed another addition Ultimate Series. It's a speedster called the Elva and it's also due to start deliveries in 2020.
