A successor to the mighty McLaren P1 was virtually assured after the company sold out of the hybrid hypercar in just a few short months. With the balance of performance in the hypercar world multiplying exponentially, we figured that the heir to the P1’s crown would likely be more raw, more powerful, and quicker than its predecessor. Now, according to Autocar, details of the upcoming hypercar are beginning to leak out.
The new Ultimate Series car falls under McLaren’s “Track22” plan, which sees the company developing and debuting 15 new road cars before the end of 2022. Projects include the 570S Spider, and the upcoming three-seat McLaren F1 successor, code-named BP23, which will likely make use of a reworked 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 from the new 720S, possibly producing over 1,000 horsepower.
Though we’ve known an Ultimate Series replacement was in the cards since McLaren announced Track22, some of the details Autocar is reporting don’t entirely add up. According to the article, the new Ultimate Series car will use the Monocage II carbon fiber tub, which made its debut in the 720S, but power is said to come from a modified 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 from the 570S, 675LT, and previous P1.
However, Monocage II was developed in conjunction with the aforementioned 4.0-liter V-8, so the engine pickup points would likely be highly differentiated from the old 3.8-liter. It also doesn’t make sense for McLaren to use the old engine after developing the new 4.0-liter mill. The article also states that the 3.8-liter engine would be coupled to the 720S’ new seven-speed gearbox.
The report also makes no mention any form of electrification for the P1 successor, which is part of the backbone of Track22. When the plan was first announced, McLaren stated that, “By 2022…At least 50 percent of McLaren cars will feature hybrid technology, following in the footsteps of the hugely successful petrol-electric McLaren P1.”
When reached for comment, a McLaren rep tells Automobile, “We can confirm that we are working on a new product to be launched within our Ultimate Series during the period of Track22 in addition to BP23. More details will be released when we are ready.”
Autocar further states that the new car would likely feature nearly 789 horsepower from its twin-turbocharged V-8, more than the P1 generated from its combustion engine, a weight of just 2,866 pounds — a nearly 500-pound reduction. The exterior, which will be penned by Rob Melville, newly appointed design director at McLaren, is said to look “brutal.” Something the P1 definitely was not.
If McLaren were truly building something more extreme than the P1, we could see this new car being similar in spirit to the forthcoming Aston Martin Valkyrie and Mercedes-AMG Project One — a low-slung, LMP-style race car for the road.
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