McLaren Is Preparing a Non-Hybrid, 800-HP P1 Successor, Report Says
Not to be confused with the BP23 three-seater, the P15 will reportedly make its public debut in March.
Plans for a new entry in McLaren's "Ultimate Series" of hypercars have leaked through a report from Autocar. The new car, codenamed P15—it's not the three-seater BP23 "hyperluxury GT"—will have two seats, be created with absolute track domination in mind, and—get this—rely on internal combustion only.
Yes, McLaren's next track-slaying hypercar will reportedly use an altered version of the firm's ubiquitous 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8... and nothing else. No electric motors, no hydrogen superchargers, no Greenpeace-approved flux capacitors. It'll apparently produce around 789 horsepower and it will be McLaren's "most extreme, track-focused road car" to date. While that horsepower figure puts it down from the P1, the P1's headline figure of 903 horses is achieved in tandem with its electric power. Take the volts away, and the P1's V8 "only" puts out 727-hp. What's more, the P15 is set to weigh less than 1,300 kg, giving it a greater power-to-weight ratio than the relatively portly, 1,547 kg P1.
The P15 will reportedly use the British supercar maker's Monocage II carbon tub also seen in the sensational 720S. It'll be cladded entirely in carbon fiber body panels sculpted in an unwavering pursuit of performance, not beauty. Autocar sources describe the end product as visually "brutal."
“This is the ultimate distillation of form following function. Whichever part of the car you look at, you will visually understand the function of the components," said the source. That being said, the design was reportedly signed off by newly-minted Macca design head Rob Melville (the man who penned the 720S) so expect some traditional McLaren design motifs such as thin, swooshy logo-emulating headlamps and waist-high exhaust tips sticking out the back along with the inevitably massive and active wings, spoilers, splitters, and scoops.
The report goes on to say that straight-line speed has been given a lower priority in favor of corner-crushing lap times, with Autocar projecting 0-60 miles per hour and quarter-mile times superior to the 720S, for sure, but likely not any better than the P1's 2.7-second run up to 60 mph and 10.2-second drag receipt. The 0-120 mph sprint may be a different story, though.
Aligning with its no-holds-barred attitude, its speculated that the P15 will not feature a frunk, have an interior as stripped down as legislation will allow, and only have enough cargo capacity for two helmets and a racing suit. In other words, your mother will hate this car.
Apparently limited to a relatively generous 500 units (McLaren made just 375 P1s), the P15 will likely cost close to $1 million and be privately unveiled to prospective owners later this year. The rest of us will reportedly have to wait 'til March of next year when it drops at Geneva.
