A Meteoric Rise
When you think of sports cars, supercars, and hypercars, you most likely think of some of the most well known European car brands in the world. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and so many others make the sports car world a formidable place for new car manufacturers to compete and succeed. But a British company you may have never heard of is not only competing in the sports car market, but they’re succeeding fantastically. That company is McLaren Automotive. Let’s explore what McLaren has done to get its autos onto the road and become a household name among sports car aficionados.
Racing Roots
McLaren actually didn’t start as a production car organization but rather a race car brand. Bruce McLaren is the originator of McLaren which was started back in 1963. You might question that since they’ve been around since the 60’s, why aren’t they more recognizable? Well, McLaren didn’t produce its first street legal car until 1993 which was the McLaren F1. But only 106 units were initially produced.
The F1 wasn’t just any sports car because it actually held the title of the world’s speediest production car for a time with a top speed of 240 mph!
Worth the Wait
After the F1, McLaren didn’t manufacture any automobiles until 2011 when it relaunched to produce the 12C. The 12C was sold from 2011 through 2014 and was McLaren’s first real shot at competing with the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and other top car makers. With a base sticker price over $200,000, it needed to bring a lot of characteristics to the table and it did. With a turbocharged V8 engine over 600 horsepower, it really put McLaren back on the map.
True Believers
The past few years have been even better for McLaren. Following up the 12C was the P1 which was categorized as a hypercar.
The McLaren P1 is often associated with the Porsche 918 and the Ferrari LaFerrari in what sports car fans call the Holy Trinity.
The P1 had a starting list price of over $1,000,000 and was produced in very limited numbers. McLaren stepped up the technology in the P1 by combining a V8 engine with two electric motors; resulting in over 900 horsepower.
Obviously not everyone in the market for a supercar is ready to dish out over $1,000,000 and McLaren understands that. That’s why they’ve provided their most recent line of acclaimed gems. The entry level models are the 570S and 570GT. These autos offer many great supercar properties at a much lower list price. These two models compete with the Ferrari California and Lamborghini Huracan. Then McLaren has their 650S and 675LT which are their higher end models which have garnered a considerable amount of attention due to their dazzling design, speed, and driving capabilities.
Now that McLaren has swiftly drawn so much well-deserved recognition, every time they present a new model, it's a big deal. Their latest marvel is the new 720S which is the successor to the 650S and 675LT. The 720S is their most advanced and beautiful sports car yet and will continue to carry the McLaren brand forward.
We hope you have enjoyed today's post. Thank you for visiting our blog. We hope you depend on the team at I-86 Truck & Auto Repair to provide superior automotive service. (And if you are lucky enough to zip around in a McLaren, please stop by our shop in Falconer so we can check it out!)