McLaren Doubles Down on V8s With Renewed Engine Supplier Agreement
McLaren will extend its engine collaboration with Ricardo “into the next decade” while its rivals rush towards electrification.
It's a strange time we live in, with many traditional performance brands looking to move away from internal combustion. McLaren isn't ready to go just yet, though, and has recommitted to building powerful V8s for the near future.
In a press release, McLaren confirmed it has signed a deal with its engine supplier Ricardo to manufacture its next generation of V8 power units. These new engines will power McLaren's upcoming lineup of hybrid supercars as part of the brand's "Future of Performance" strategy.
The multi-year deal builds upon an already successful partnership. Ricardo is responsible for manufacturing the company's existing V6 and V8 engine lines. The relationship dates back over a decade, beginning when McLaren re-entered the road car business with the MP4-12C in 2011. Since then, Ricardo has manufactured approximately 34,000 powertrains for McLaren.
The two UK-based companies are conveniently located for collaboration, with Ricardo's Shoreham-by-Sea facility just 50 miles from the McLaren Production Centre in Woking. Established in 1915 as Engine Patents Ltd., Ricardo got its start working on military designs during World War I. The company has operated at its current site since 1919.
“We are extremely pleased to have concluded this new engine supply agreement with McLaren
Automotive for their next generation high-performance V8 powertrain, which extends the long-term
relationship between both companies into the next decade," said Graham Ritchie, CEO of Ricardo. The agreement will see Ricardo build both hybrid and conventional variants of McLaren's next-generation V8. The company is set to invest in its facilities to support the production, with Ricardo already employing over 100 engineers and technicians to build engines for McLaren.
McLaren and Ricardo have done amazing things over the past decade, all stemming from an engine architecture spawned from an old Nissan Le Mans design. It looks like that fruitful collaboration will now continue well into the future, despite the looming specter of electrification hanging over the broader automotive industry.
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