McLaren has already delivered the first examples of its Speedtail, but the company has only now provided details on the car’s powertrain.
The Speedtail is a recent addition to McLaren’s Ultimate Series and just 106 examples are destined to be built, the number equalling the build run for the McLaren F1 whose three-seat layout the Speedtail shares.
It’s the fastest McLaren to date, with the car’s top speed confirmed at 250 mph—or 9.9 mph faster than the F1 managed back in the 1990s.
To achieve the figure, the Speedtail relies on a slippery shape—you’ll notice there aren’t any side mirrors—and a powerful hybrid powertrain. The setup combines a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 and single electric motor, with drive sent to the rear wheels only.
McLaren Speedtail
The peak output is 1,055 horsepower and 848 pound-feet of torque, with the V-8 generating 746 hp and 590 lb-ft on its own. The electric motor draws its energy from a 1.647-kilowatt-hour battery, which McLaren keeps cool using an oil bath. McLaren says the cooling system is the first of its kind in a production car, and is highly efficient and allows the battery to run harder and for longer.
At the core of the Speedtail is a carbon fiber monocoque structure, with carbon fiber also used for the body. The suspension is mostly aluminum and additional weight has been saved by utilizing carbon-ceramic brake rotors instead of steel units. There’s still some heft here, with McLaren quoting a weight of 3,153 pounds, due mostly to the hybrid powertrain.
McLaren Speedtail design theme
As mentioned above, the cabin has the same seating arrangement found in the F1, with the driver’s seat in the middle and a passenger seat placed on either side. Unfortunately, this arrangement, together with the lack of side mirrors, puts the car on the wrong side of safety regulations in the United States. To get around this, buyers in the U.S. will need to register the car under “Show or Display” rules.
The Speedtail’s price tag is $2.25 million, but build slots for the car were all snapped up even before the reveal.
